Surviving As A Mage In A Magic Academy [EN]: Chapter 795

“Did you say… Master Yumidihus’s *teacher*?” Ihan asked, still surprised. Before he could ask more, the large old woman’s voice boomed, cutting him off.

“Master? Don’t be silly!” the old woman snapped. “Listen here, you young one. Who is in charge here?”

Ihan blinked. He almost said, “Professor Voladi, of course.” Professors were important, and pirates… well, pirates weren’t usually respected. But something in the old woman’s eyes made him think twice.

“You are, ma’am?” Ihan guessed carefully.

“Hee hee hee! Exactly right! When I’m here, ‘ma’am’ is only for *me*. Understand?”

The pirate grinned, clearly enjoying her own importance.

Ihan watched her go into the room, then quietly asked Professor Voladi, “Professor, has something changed with the Empire’s laws lately?”

*If pirates are now allowed, I need to know,* Ihan thought. *Maybe there’s a way to make money from this later.*

“No,” Professor Voladi replied.

“Then… how can a pirate be here at Einroguard?” Ihan asked, confused.

He worried Professor Voladi might say something like, *’Einroguard has all sorts, Ihan. What’s so strange about a pirate?’*

“Lady Lagesa has special permission,” Professor Voladi explained.

Ihan blinked. *Special permission?* He braced himself for bad news. But then Professor Voladi continued, “It’s not a pirate permit. It’s a letter that allows her to attack enemy ships – a privateer’s license.”

“Ah,” Ihan said, feeling relieved. A privateer made more sense. Someone allowed by the Empire to fight their enemies at sea. Like a private navy.

“Wait,” Ihan said. “Professor, is the Empire at war?”

“No.”

“…Then who is she going to attack?” Ihan wondered.

The Empire wasn’t at war right now. So, there wouldn’t be any enemy ships. What would a privateer even *do*?

“That’s the trouble, lad,” Lagesa said, stepping forward. She poured a generous amount of strong-smelling drink from a bottle into a metal cup that seemed to appear from nowhere. The old pirate sighed, sounding a little sad. “The old days were better, I tell you. Back then, the sea was full of ships to take!”

“So now…?” Ihan asked.

“Well, can’t let my crew go hungry,” Lagesa said, taking a swig from her cup. “So, we’re… taking ships from *other* pirates.”

“…Wait,” Ihan said slowly. “So, you’re catching pirates? Not… being one?”

Lagesa’s eyes narrowed. She glared at Ihan. “How *dare* you? Are you saying I’ve turned my back on my family’s pirate ways?” she roared.

“No, no, I’m sorry! I didn’t understand,” Ihan said quickly.

“Hmph!” Lagesa snorted. “Even if you are a student of Yumidihus, you should watch your words! No one insults the daughter of Torgerd!”

*Is she mad?* Ihan thought, agreeing with the baby basilisk in his pocket.

But what could he do? Powerful people in the Empire often made their own rules. Like Headmaster Skull. If she wanted to be called a pirate, then a pirate she was.

“Yes, of course. My apologies, Lady Lagesa,” Ihan said smoothly. “Lady Lagesa is clearly a pirate. Ask anyone at Einroguard! They’d all say the same.”

Lagesa seemed pleased by this and chuckled. “Hee hee hee! That’s right! They should!”

“But,” Ihan continued, “what does this have to do with the dueling club, Lady Lagesa?”

“Dueling club?” Lagesa scoffed. “None at all! It’s ridiculous! Asking *me*, a pirate, to teach those kids in a club…”

Ihan finally understood. Professor Kirmin wanted Professor Voladi to find a great magic duelist. Professor Voladi found Lagesa, a great magic duelist… who happened to be a pirate. And now she was at Einroguard.

*Professor Voladi must be desperate,* Ihan thought. *Asking a pirate to teach dueling?* It was like asking for help with homework from the loudest person in the room, just because they were there.

“Yes, well, the dueling club members must be very excited,” Ihan said, trying to sound polite.

Luckily, it wasn’t *his* problem. The dueling club could deal with a pirate teacher. Ihan hadn’t joined that club anyway.

*Heh heh. Not my problem.*

*Splash!*

Lagesa threw the rest of the drink in her bottle at Ihan, and then tried to kick his legs out from under him!

Surprised, Ihan quickly raised a shield of invisible force with his mind, pushing himself back.

“Eee-yah!” Lagesa yelled, not giving up. She began to chant in a strange language. The magic felt different from the Imperial spells Ihan knew.

*Old magic?* Ihan wondered.

Suddenly, the chair beside him twisted and changed. It became a flock of brightly colored parrots, their beaks sharp and eyes angry. They screeched and flew at Ihan.

The baby basilisk in his sleeve hissed angrily. Ihan made a mental note to give it extra food later. He started to chant his own spell.

“Rise, you bones…!”

Two skeleton warriors appeared instantly. One shimmered with dark energy, the other glowed with a faint red light. They stood ready to defend him.

Lagesa stared, surprised. “You’re Yumidihus’s student, right? Why are you using dark magic?”

“I study magic from many different places,” Ihan replied.

“What else do you study?” Lagesa asked.

“Everything,” Ihan said.

“Everything?” Lagesa repeated, confused.

While Lagesa was still trying to understand, Ihan told the skeleton warriors to attack the parrots. Then, he ran for the back door of the room.

The lesson was definitely over. There was no reason to stay.

“Aaaai-yah!” Lagesa yelled again. Suddenly, the back door seemed to twist and melt, becoming solid stone. A wall blocked his way.

Ihan didn’t hesitate.

*Bang!*

He shot a blast of water magic, using his mental strength to make it even stronger. The water smashed through the stone, leaving a hole in the wall. Lagesa gasped.

“H-how did you—!”

“Goodbye, Professor! It was… interesting meeting you, Lady Lagesa!” Ihan called out.

“Stop right there!” Lagesa shouted.

“Sorry, what was that?” Ihan yelled back, pretending he couldn’t hear. He jumped through the hole and into the hallway.

…

In the hallway, several tough-looking men stood with chains around their wrists. They looked miserable. *Pirates,* Ihan realized. *Lagesa’s crew.*

Ihan sighed.

From inside the room, Lagesa roared, “Get that boy back here!”

*Let’s go,* the baby basilisk whispered.

“No, I’ll go back,” Ihan said. He pushed past the pirates who were starting to move towards him, and stepped back through the hole in the wall.

Then he turned back to Lagesa and said, “I just needed some air. It’s stuffy in here.”

Lagesa threw her head back and laughed loudly. She seemed to really like his bold excuse.

“Better than Yumidihus!” she chuckled. “He was so serious, he couldn’t laugh at anything! You’ve got spirit, kid.”

“Jokes aren’t really my strong point,” Ihan admitted.

“This student of Yumidihus is much more interesting than those dueling club kids,” Lagesa said, turning to Professor Voladi. “Don’t you think?”

Professor Voladi allowed himself a small, proud smile. “You are too kind,” he said with dignity.

“Kindness has nothing to do with it!” Lagesa waved her hand. “Joining a dueling club is pointless anyway. A club for thieves or pirates, now *that* would be useful!”

Ihan made a promise to himself never to mention the club he was really in. This strange pirate might get the wrong idea about the Location Transfer Club.

“Come on, you’re coming with me to see those kids,” Lagesa said to Ihan.

“…Yes,” Ihan sighed.

“Begreck, what about you?” Lagesa asked Professor Voladi.

“I need to get ready for my lesson,” Professor Voladi replied. He was thinking about the lecture he and Ihan had talked about earlier. Ihan’s enthusiasm had inspired him to start preparing right away.

*Oh no,* Ihan thought, closing his eyes briefly. *This is all my fault.*

“Is that so? Well, come find me later if you’re free,” Lagesa said to the Professor. “Is Gonadaltez here?”

“He’s busy,” Professor Voladi said.

“Ah, too bad. I had a present for him,” Lagesa said. “Alright, let’s go, kid! Anything you want to know about fighting with magic?”

As they walked, Ihan tried to learn more about Lagesa. She smelled strongly of alcohol. She told him her family had been pirates in this area long before the Empire even existed. Yumidihus, when he was young, had even visited her pirate ship to learn magic from her.

“He learned how to tell if a ship was full of treasure just by feeling the wind,” Lagesa boasted.

“Really? Just by the wind?” Ihan asked, surprised.

“Hee hee hee! That’s right! Amazing, isn’t it? It’s my family’s special illusion magic. The best illusionists in the Empire would beg to learn it!”

Lagesa explained that she knew more than just the old magic she had used in the room. Her family had passed down secret magic for generations. Some of it, especially magic related to water, was so special that even Yumidihus had wanted to learn it.

“No one can copy this illusion magic, I tell you!” Lagesa declared.

“But there are many great illusionists in the Empire,” Ihan said. “Like… Valdororn, for example.”

“I told you, no ‘ma’am’!” Lagesa snapped.

“Right, sorry. Valdororn…”

“Who’s that? Some new magician? Time goes by so fast when you’re at sea,” Lagesa grumbled, patting her back. She seemed very healthy, so it didn’t seem like she was really complaining.

“So,” Lagesa said, changing the subject. “What do you want to learn? Don’t pretend you’re not interested. All the magicians who come to see me want to learn my family’s magic.”

She thought Professor Voladi had brought Ihan here hoping she would teach him. Lagesa didn’t mind these kinds of tricks, especially if the student was smart and quick-witted.

“…What’s the easiest magic you can teach?” Ihan asked.

“Easiest magic?” Lagesa repeated, grinning. “You’re a clever one, aren’t you? Always looking for the easy way!”

Ihan frowned. He really didn’t understand what Lagesa was thinking.

It didn’t seem like she would listen if he said no, and all her magic sounded complicated. So, he just asked about the easiest one.

“Wait,” Lagesa said suddenly, stopping in the hallway. She held up a finger for silence.

Ihan blinked. There was nothing there. He couldn’t see or hear anything unusual. *Is there some kind of invisible monster?* he wondered. *But I should be able to sense it…*

“That smell…” Lagesa whispered, sniffing the air. “It’s the smell of… Bibble.”

Ihan stared. Lagesa had smelled someone coming from far away! Professor Verdus, probably.

“That’s incredible,” Ihan said, impressed.

This kind of skill – noticing someone from so far off – seemed more useful for a student than a pirate, he thought. *Maybe I should ask her to teach me that.*

“Incredible? You haven’t seen anything yet!” Lagesa said, waving her hand dismissively. She started digging through the pouches and belts around her waist.

She changed her belt, pulled on a heavy iron mask that covered her face, and grabbed another short staff.

Then, she looked Ihan up and down and tossed him a necklace. As he caught it, he felt a surge of protective magic from it.

“Wear this,” she said. “Things are about to get interesting.”

“…Interesting?” Ihan repeated, confused.

“Crew, get ready!” Lagesa shouted to the pirates in the hallway. “We’re going to… *capture* that Bibble!”

*Capture Bibble?* Ihan thought, his confusion growing. But seeing Lagesa’s sudden seriousness, and the way she was preparing, he felt a strange mix of fear and excitement. *Maybe this pirate isn’t so crazy after all.*