Surviving As A Mage In A Magic Academy [EN]: Chapter 772

Shock and silence.

Dirette understood his junior’s shock and waited for him to recover.

“…H-How can that be possible?”

“Which part? The White Tiger Tower 5th year? Or the zero-House affiliation?”

“Everything is confusing… How can someone who failed still advance to the 5th year?”

The joke often made by lower-year students at Einroguard, ‘If you fail enough, you’ll end up in 5th year,’ was far from reality.

Einroguard wasn’t a kind place that would send you to the next year just because you failed.

Usually, students who failed went to the punishment room.

Spending vacation in the punishment room instead of going outside usually fixed most failures.

Students who wanted to graduate in 4 years couldn’t fail. But for most students, the usual steps were: fail, go to punishment room, then improve.

But to keep failing and still make it to the 5th year?

“First of all, that guy Jahan… he was in the punishment room all vacation.”

“……”

A chill ran down Lee Han’s spine.

To think someone had been trapped in Einroguard since entering, never going outside.

Being stuck there could make anyone crazy, even someone normal, like Headmaster Skull.

“T-That’s too cruel, isn’t it?”

“Such things happen in Einroguard, Junior. I, and even Professor Yukbelltire, tried to teach him…”

Lee Han swallowed hard.

He felt more nervous than when he had met Headmaster Skull’s insane doppelganger.

“…But we failed. Jahan really couldn’t understand the calculations or laws needed for magic. It’s as if he was cursed by numbers.”

“I-Indeed.”

Lee Han nodded.

Magic needed feeling magic power, knowing how to move it, calculating, and concentrating. It wasn’t something you could do with just your senses.

Even if you learned a few things by luck, you couldn’t go further.

If Jahan Catton was cursed by numbers, as Dirette said, it was no wonder he had failed so many times.

“Wait. Then how did he become a 5th year?”

“He was excellent at swordsmanship.”

Catton’s swordsmanship was better than other students in his year and even older students in White Tiger Tower.

He used magic power to create auras and showed various swordsmanship secrets, which made up for his lack of magic.

-Student Jahan. The test clearly said to create a wall of water…

-I made it, Professor.

-This is swordsmanship… It’s amazing that you created a wall of water by using your sword… But what kind of swordsmanship is this?

-It’s a secret technique I created in the punishment room to pass the test. I swung my sword all day to make the wall of water.

-…Wouldn’t it be better for you to just join the Knights?

Headmaster Skull and the professors were impressed by his hard work and talent. They suggested, ‘Why don’t you graduate early and join the Knights?’ but Catton refused.

Catton wanted to learn magic.

-A man of the Jahan family doesn’t change his mind, Headmaster. Swordsmanship is also a way to handle magic power. If I get good enough, I might find a connection with magic.

-…I know a bit about swordsmanship, but I don’t think getting better at swordsmanship will lead to understanding magic…

-Headmaster. You told me not to limit magic!

-Using my own words against me in such a way is cowardly.

Headmaster Skull was won over by Catton’s persistence and allowed him to advance to the 5th year.

If you’re going to say that much, then try to get results with swordsmanship research!

…The result was a monster: a 5th-year student with zero House affiliation.

“…Shouldn’t he just go to the Knights?”

“Junior. I, his seniors, and his juniors have told him that a hundred times.”

After hearing about it, it was hard to understand why he was in Einroguard when he was a swordsmanship talent like Jiclin, Giselle’s sister.

Wouldn’t it be better for the Imperial swordsmanship world to let him focus on swordsmanship?

But no matter what others said, his own will was important, and Catton believed that if he studied swordsmanship, he would one day awaken to magic.

“I see. Um. But he’s not a senior with a bad or strange personality, right?”

“After hearing that, you’re still asking if he’s a strange senior?”

“…But he’s not a strange senior like Professor Verdus or Senior Yukbelltire, right?”

“He’s not mean like them, but… just wait and see. You’ll understand.”

“……”

Lee Han wanted to say, ‘Do you know there are two ways to make people angry, Senior?’ but he held back.

The senior in front of him was too pitiful to get angry at.

“I understand. Then I’ll go listen well.”

“Alright. Good luck.”

“Oh, when should I come to help with the pseudo-sacred object research?”

“It’s still far off.”

“Then I’ll come this weekend.”

Lee Han bowed and went outside.

“Did he not hear me say it’s still far off?”

Dirette grumbled at his junior’s back.

It was hard to lie when the junior was too smart.

‘Oh, I should put some gold coins in there.’

After Lee Han left and Dirette was alone in the Black Magic Hall, he went to the vault.

The Black Magic House was so poor that Dirette sometimes secretly put in his own money.

He was worried that there might be zero freshmen this year, so he should put some money in the wallet…

-!!!!!!

A shrill scream came from the Black Magic Hall.

The >Sword and Life> lecture was on the 6th floor, in the Hell Outskirts lecture hall.

‘It’s lucky that it was a toxic swamp that erupted on the 6th floor.’

Lee Han walked through the poisonous fumes from the swamp and opened the door to the Hell Outskirts lecture hall.

Lee Han pushed open the heavy door and stepped inside. *Whoosh!* Hot air blasted him in the face, like opening an oven. Orange lava flowed across the floor like a slow, fiery river, glowing brightly. The air shimmered with heat, and the smell of hot rock filled his nose.

Lee Han froze. His first thought was to slam the door shut and run. *This is crazy!* he thought. But he took a deep breath and stepped further into the burning lecture hall. He had to endure.

‘Wait. The elemental magic lecture was like this too. Einroguard lecture halls are all unique. You can’t judge the lecture content by the lecture hall.’

Of course, the professor in charge of the >Elemental Magic and Its Application> lecture had set Lee Han on fire, but Lee Han tried to accept it positively.

‘…Why is no one here?’

When he didn’t see anyone between the lava and igneous rocks, Lee Han wanted to leave again.

‘No. Professor Verdus’s lecture was like this too. The seniors are so relaxed that they might be late.’

Unlike Lee Han, a 2nd-year student, the 3rd and 4th-year students were very relaxed.

So they might be coming late.

“Ah. Is that a junior? Welcome.”

A short cat student waved his hand. He was a male student with a strong animal look, and Lee Han flinched.

‘Animal beast-kins with cute appearances… have been dangerous in my experience.’

In Lee Han’s experience, animal beast-kins with cute appearances often had flawed personalities.

Lee Han called this the >Beast-kin Personality – Cuteness Inverse Hypothesis>.

The best example was Professor Verdus.

If it weren’t for his animal look, which made people feel sympathy and think he was cute, Professor Verdus would not have survived until now.

‘Among the beast-kins with flawed personalities, only those with strong animal blood and cute appearances survive. It’s a convincing idea.’

“Are you Senior Catton of the Jahan family?”

“That’s right! Junior.”

‘Damn it.’

Lee Han thought that if it was just a senior taking the lecture, it would be alright even if the senior was a bit dangerous, but it turned out to be the senior teaching the lecture.

“How did you know my name?”

“Um… The other seniors told me.”

“I see. I also know your name, Junior.”

Catton took off his wide-brimmed fedora and smiled. Lee Han paused.

“Yes? Why is that?”

“Aren’t you Lee Han of the Wodanaz family? I’ve wanted to meet you ever since I heard the rumor that you were taking all the Houses’ lectures. I didn’t expect you to come to this lecture.”

“……”

Lee Han wished he had stayed with Dirette and listened to more stories about the senior.

He was scared because the other person was like that.

‘He’s not trying to get revenge because I’m taking all the Houses’ lectures, is he?’

Lee Han was from the Blue Dragon Tower, and the other person was from the White Tiger Tower.

What if his 2nd-year friends asked him to take revenge…

“When are the others coming?”

“Other people?”

“Yes.”

“There are no other students taking this lecture.”

Catton blinked and looked at Lee Han.

“…How do you know that?”

“Well, all the students taking the swordsmanship lecture besides you are from the White Tiger Tower, and I’ve already asked the White Tiger Tower students?”

“……”

Lee Han vowed to grab the White Tiger Tower students by the collar when he met them later.

If a crazy senior was asking about the lecture, they should have told him! How could they just let it pass!

“Should I try to persuade them again? It seems a bit unfortunate to take this lecture alone.”

“There’s no need for that, Junior. I was the one who stopped them from listening.”

“Yes?”

Lee Han was surprised.

Is it okay for a professor to threaten students not to listen?

‘That’s a new method.’

Professor Verdus would be scared if he found out.

To go to the students first and threaten them not to listen…

“It seems there are requirements to listen to this lecture. I asked, and if it didn’t seem right, I told them not to listen.”

“Are the requirements swordsmanship?”

Lee Han was puzzled.

Lee Han had excellent swordsmanship, but if Giselle and Dergyu, and the seniors, had given up, there was no reason for only Lee Han to listen.

“Ah. Maybe I haven’t taken the test yet?”

Lee Han cautiously asked if he could leave the lecture hall if he failed.

Catton shook his head.

“It is a test, but not of swordsmanship. It’s more about wisdom. Here, Junior. Take this book.”

Catton handed Lee Han a book.

It was >Elementary Fire Magic>, an old book, but it was well-explained and helpful for first-year students.

“?”

“The back, the 3rd Circle page. >Lesser Flame Barrier>. Do you know about this magic?”

“Yes.”

“Can you explain it?”

“Yes?”

Catton told him to do it quickly.

Lee Han hesitated, wondering how to explain it.

‘Um. The senior probably hasn’t learned many spells.’

According to Dirette, Catton used swordsmanship for everything except for a few basic spells he had learned through his senses.

Lee Han prepared to explain, thinking of the other person as someone who didn’t know numbers.

“So, first of all, this >Lesser Flame Barrier> uses fire elements and shape transformation. For fire elements, you need to calculate accurately because there can be a backdraft. But sometimes when there is too much magic power or you can’t calculate, you have to use other methods. I recommend using protective magic when using the spell. It might seem reckless at first, but if you repeat it, you can see that there are many parts that can be replaced by feeling…”

“You pass, Junior.”

“?”

“I look forward to working with you.”

“Uh, what are you talking about?”

“I will teach you swordsmanship, and you will teach me magic. Shouldn’t we create a synergistic effect together?”

“……”

Lee Han felt like he understood what Dirette was trying to say earlier.