Surviving As A Mage In A Magic Academy [EN]: Chapter 849

Garal didn’t say what he really thought right away.

He used to be brave and speak his mind when he lived in the Northern Snowflake Magic Tower. But after three failed experiments, five accidents, and one time someone thought he tried to kill a rich person (it was really just another accident!), Garal had learned to be careful.

He knew he had to be careful what he said to his boss, no matter how unlucky he felt.

Zandanni said, “That’s surprising! Valdrogard students and Einrogard students are never friends, are they?”

“Well,” Zandanni continued, “Einrogard students are strong and important in the Empire, but people say they are not very polite or elegant. So, it makes sense they don’t get along with us Valdrogard students.”

*Garal’s jaw tightened.* He could almost hear his teeth grinding together.

*This Valdrogard student was using words like spells, making Garal feel worse with every sentence.*

*’Stay calm,’* Garal thought, forcing himself to smile. *’Just listen.’*

“But,” Zandanni went on, not noticing Garal’s tight jaw, “there are always exceptions, right?”

He continued to explain. “The older student who made this better space backpack with an Einrogard student is very famous, even in Valdrogard.”

“Almost like a legend!” Zandanni said excitedly. “He was so amazing that when he finished school, everyone wanted him to work for them!”

Garal’s lip curled slightly. *No way,* he thought. *A Valdrogard student getting lots of offers from the Empire Magic Tower or the Wizards’ Guild? That’s impossible.*

“So,” Garal asked, “how did you get this backpack?”

“Oh, it’s a really sweet story!” Zandanni said, smiling.

Zandanni explained that the Valdrogard student and the Einrogard student worked very hard together on the space backpack.

Then, one day, the Einrogard student had to suddenly stop working on the project because of something personal…

…So, the Valdrogard student kept the backpack his friend left behind, to remember their friendship. And then, he gave it to younger students like me!”

*’Wow,’* Garal thought. *’This story is more unbelievable than a badly written mystery book!’*

Garal was really surprised.

There were many things that didn’t make sense in this short, simple story.

First, it was odd that an Einrogard student would suddenly stop working on important research for personal reasons.

Einrogard was known to be very serious about school work, right? They would never let a student just quit research and leave.

*’Einrogard students are so dedicated to their studies, they would keep working even if they were seriously injured! This is very strange.’*

But Zandanni was his boss.

So, instead of saying what he really thought about the story, Garal changed the topic.

“Yes,” Garal said, trying to sound interested. “It’s a very good backpack.”

Many magic items could make the inside bigger than the outside. But some were much better than others.

Some bags only made the space inside two or three times bigger. Others could hold as much as a whole tent!

But it wasn’t just about size.

It was also important to make the item light, and to make sure it had enough magic power to work.

Things inside these bags often bounced around when you walked. So, it was also important to keep things organized inside the bigger space.

There were so many things to think about when making these items. It was almost impossible to make one that was perfect. And sometimes, making one thing better made another thing worse.

So, a really good space expansion item was one that was made very carefully, trying to get as close to perfect as possible.

And this backpack was definitely amazing.

It was good in every way. But most importantly…

*’It’s so light! And nothing moves around inside when I walk. The space inside feels very stable. Wait a minute…’* Garal thought suddenly. *’Did they make a whole new space and attach it to the backpack, instead of just stretching the space inside the backpack itself?’*

He realized. Instead of just making the space inside bigger, they must have created a completely separate space and then connected it to the backpack.

Garal was surprised.

Making space bigger was usually used for small bags. Creating a separate space was usually for big things like tents.

Stretching the space that was already there took less magic and was easier to do.

But making a whole new space and connecting it was much harder. It took a lot more work, just to create the space itself. That’s why it was usually only used for big things like tents.

But this backpack used the harder method…

“Wait,” Garal asked, surprised. “It’s connected to a separate space? Did you know that?”

“Huh?” Zandanni looked confused. “What are you talking about?”

“Oh, never mind,” Garal said quickly, smiling weakly.

*Explaining how space magic works to this Valdrogard student would be a waste of time. And money,* Garal thought.

“By the way,” Garal asked, changing the subject again, “can you change what’s inside this backpack?”

“Yes! How did you know?” Zandanni said, excited again. “It’s called the ‘Backpack of Six Directions’!”

Zandanni eagerly explained how it worked.

“It has six spaces inside!” he said. “You can get to each space by turning this pattern on the lock.” He pointed to a design on the backpack.

Zandanni listed what was in each space. “Space number one has fancy wine. Space number two has a chess set and chairs made of wood. Space number three has expensive clothes – like a fancy coat, a vest, and a hat. Space number four has famous books from the Empire, like those detective stories. And space number five has riding equipment for horses…”

*’Nothing useful for magic,’* Garal thought, annoyed.

*At least a magic student should carry a potion bottle or something!*

“Wait,” Garal said, frowning. “You said there are six spaces. But you only told me about five.”

“Oh, the sixth space is locked,” Zandanni said casually. “It’s been locked since I got it.”

“Locked?” Garal asked, surprised. “Why?”

“Hmm?” Zandanni shrugged. “I don’t know.”

Garal stared at him. “…You weren’t curious about a locked space in a magic item?”

*Any normal wizard would have been desperate to open a locked space in a magical backpack!* Garal thought in disbelief.

Zandanni suddenly clapped his hands together. “Now that you say it, yes, I guess I am a little curious!”

Garal forced a smile, though he felt like groaning. *Getting angry at this clueless student won’t help,* he reminded himself.

“Maybe,” Garal said, “it’s not finished properly.”

“Maybe!” Zandanni agreed.

“Well,” Garal said, “how about I try to open it for you?”

“Oh, would you? That would be great! I’m counting on you!” Zandanni said happily.

“Okay,” Garal said, standing up. “Let’s take a short break first, then we can look at it.”

Garal stood up, opened the door, and walked out.

Outside, the “Visitor’s Lodging” village was made of warm, inviting houses of brick and wood, all in a circle.

Above, instead of the real sky, was the high ceiling of the main Einrogard building. Tiny lights sparkled like fake stars. Around the edge of the village, instead of a horizon, was thick, white fog.

Garal breathed in deeply. A peaceful feeling washed over him again.

*’This place really doesn’t feel like Einrogard,’* he thought, relaxing. *’It’s so quiet and calm.’*

Suddenly, a voice hissed, “Freeze!”

Another voice, closer, said, “Don’t move. We don’t hate you, but if you move even a little, I can’t promise you’ll be safe.”

Garal froze. *Oh no.* He felt the cold, hard end of a staff press against his back, just below his neck.

*Even in a place that seemed as peaceful as Einrogard, you could never relax completely,* he thought, his heart sinking.

Yihan used a magic trick to bend space, arriving quickly at the village. He used the illusion magic he had just learned to sneak past the Death Knight guards and get inside.

The mansion where the Valdrogard guests were staying was easy to find. It was the place with the most brilliant lights and the loudest music.

-It’s wine.

-Wine? Why is wine on the ground?

-The Valdrogard people brought it, but it must have tasted awful, so they just threw it out here. Spoiled rich kids!

-…I’m going to kill them!

-Calm down, calm down.

There were some minor disturbances, but Yihan and Sebius successfully approached the front of the mansion.

While they were wondering how to enter, a wizard who accounted for 98% of Valdrogard’s power happened to walk out with a sigh.

The two exchanged glances.

-Good. Luck is on our side.

-The heavens must be angry at the Valdrogard bastards’ tyranny.

-…Y-Yeah.

*Suddenly, a hand grabbed Garal’s shoulder!* “Freeze!”

“Don’t move. I have no grudge against you, but I can’t guarantee your safety the moment you move.”

“!!!”

The wizard, who had completely let his guard down, was a much weaker being than expected.

Garal, who had never imagined being attacked in such a visitor’s lodging, was caught off guard without any defensive magic or preparation.

“Take his staff. Confiscate his potions.”

“I’m sorry, Mr. Garal.”

“You! Are you a 6th grader from the Wodanaz family!”

“…I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Yihan covered his face and pretended not to know anything. Sebius stared at his friend, his mouth slightly open in surprise.

-What did you do to be mistaken for a 6th grader?

-I didn’t do anything. He’s just mistaken because I used some magic.

-Ah. If that’s the case, I understand. It can happen.

Sebius immediately understood.

His junior’s magical talent was so great that even Sebius himself was sometimes chilled, so he thought that an outsider might mistake him for a 6th grader.

It was already very strange to learn two spells in that short amount of time and then learn one more in the remaining time…

‘They might feel that a crazy 6th grader pretending to be a 2nd grader is more likely than a 2nd grader with genius talent. I understand.’

Sebius thought to himself about the rude thought that his junior would be furious if he knew.

Now that they had taken his staff, his potions, and everything else, Garal sighed and asked.

“Why did the Einrogard students come here? Revenge?”

“We don’t get angry over silly things like revenge.”

“Then?”

“We’re here to get back the treasure the Valdrogard students stole from our older student. They stole it in a really bad way.”

“Are you perhaps talking about the space expansion backpack?”

“!?”

Yihan was startled. Sebius also asked, surprised.

“How do you know that?”

“One of the Valdrogard students was boasting about the space expansion backpack earlier. It was such a well-made item that I had a hunch.”

“That alone doesn’t explain it.”

Sebius questioned sternly.

It might seem like clinging to trivial things, but he had to know these things for sure before going in.

It could be a trap.

“No matter how well-made a backpack is, you can’t guess that it’s stolen goods.”

“They said they researched it together with an Einrogard student and later received it as a token of friendship, so I thought they might have stolen it.”

“……”

The two immediately understood.

If that was the case, it was understandable that they were suspicious.

“No. More than that, they were going around saying it was a token of friendship? Such brazen and sleazy bastards!”

Garal flinched slightly at Yihan’s growl. He still vividly remembered this boy from the Wodanaz family summoning the Black Emperor.

“I know you’re angry at the Valdrogard students, but won’t you show mercy as a strong person?”

“…Why am I a strong person!?”

‘Well, he is a strong person…’

Sebius thought to himself.

Perhaps even several 4th graders or higher from Einrogard would have to team up to properly face this junior.

“Alright. Let’s show mercy. We don’t want to fight with the Valdrogard students unnecessarily either. We just need to get the backpack.”

“If that’s the case, there’s a good way.”

“What is it?”

“Just go in and get it.”

“……”

Yihan stared at him as if he was dumbfounded.

“No, wait. What are you saying? You mean we should just walk in there, fight everyone, knock them out, and take it?”

He wondered if showing mercy meant finishing them off in one blow.

However, Garal shook his head and said.

“You seem to have misunderstood. I really mean just go in and get it. Everyone is asleep right now.”

“Huh? They’re already asleep? Does that make sense?”

“They need to sleep early to get a good night’s rest, and that’s good for a wizard’s health… Ugh, ah, it hurts.”

Garal coughed, feeling his neck being strangled as Yihan gripped his staff tightly.

“S-Sorry! I squeezed too hard for a second.”

“……”