Surviving As A Mage In A Magic Academy [EN]: Chapter 974

Jarun from the Iron Shoe Clan was not an old dwarf miner. But he knew a lot about orichalcum. Even he had some wrong ideas about it.

The reason orichalcum pushed Jarun away wasn’t because it was dirty.

Unfinished orichalcum naturally pushed away greedy people, like some plants that move to protect themselves. Orichalcum did something similar.

Once the orichalcum was finished, it didn’t push people away as much.

If no one touched it, it usually became like solid magic. But if someone touched, changed, or made it dirty, it became special and unique.

“Indeed,” Lee Han said.

Lee Han calmed the baby basilisk to stop its hissing (but it didn’t work very well). He listened carefully to the Mad Doppelganger’s explanation.

Besides the spells Lee Han had to learn on his own, the Mad Doppelganger’s lessons were mostly good and helpful.

Where else could he learn things that were lost a long time ago?

If only Lee Han didn’t have to learn those spells by himself…

“But you said I shouldn’t let it leave my body because… it uses a lot of mana?”

“That is correct.”

‘People would usually call this a cursed ore.’

Orichalcum usually formed deep underground where there was a lot of energy.

Normal energy couldn’t make orichalcum.

So, if you found orichalcum, it was best to leave it alone and have a miner take care of it regularly.

Taking it out suddenly and having a mage carry it around, like what was happening now, was very strange…

“Wouldn’t it have been better to just leave it there and help it grow?”

“I said that treasures should be kept close. Also, it’s good to carry it around so you can tame it.”

“Ah, you said it could be grown the way you want.”

Lee Han thought about it. Orichalcum was a strange ore that could be grown the way the caretaker wanted.

So, it might be better to carry it around…

…Even if it used a lot of mana, well…

‘This isn’t the first time.’

Lee Han stared at the baby basilisk. The hissing monster wagged its tail as if asking why Lee Han was looking at it.

“How do I help it grow? Do I just talk to it?”

If so, Lee Han could sing it lullabies every night, saying, ‘Become a precious and valuable gem.’

“Does orichalcum have ears?”

“…I guess not.”

“There is only one way to grow orichalcum the way you want: the miner’s personality.”

A long time ago, a group of evil dwarf miners looked for unfinished orichalcum to make the magic sword they wanted.

When they finally found it, they did a bloody ritual in front of the orichalcum.

They killed captured prisoners and tortured and sacrificed people.

Finally, they even hit each other with hammers to finish the orichalcum.

“What… happened to that orichalcum?”

“It became the evil metal the dwarves wanted. But it killed the last dwarf.”

Even though he was the last evil dwarf miner, his end wasn’t very exciting.

Before he could finish the magic sword, the dirty orichalcum turned into a weapon and killed him.

In a way, the dwarf miners got what they wanted. But not in the way they thought.

‘How is that growing it the way you want?’

Lee Han was confused.

Growing something the way you want usually meant taking care of plants in a pot, right?

From what he heard, it sounded like a metal that would turn into a sword and stab its owner if it didn’t like something…

Lee Han didn’t think that was growing it the way you want at all.

“…So, if I want to grow the orichalcum the way I want, I should only show it good and kind things?”

“Incorrect. Instead of pretending, it would be better for you to control it with pure will.”

‘…Is there such a thing?’

Pure will, really.

No matter how much he thought about it, he just imagined the orichalcum asking for ‘Give me gold’ in about a month.

If the basilisk in one sleeve was asking for food and the orichalcum in the other was asking for gold…

‘That would be terrible.’

“Um…”

“Enough. You are wasting the royal family’s time. How are the other spells going?”

“Just okay.”

The Mad Doppelganger clicked his tongue.

He seemed unhappy, but Lee Han didn’t care.

A student was supposed to disappoint their teacher.

If they didn’t, they couldn’t be called a student!

Otherwise, why would they learn from a teacher?

“If you waste time, then…”

The Mad Doppelganger stopped talking.

He got a message from another dimension.

“It seems they have time to waste too.”

“?!”

Lee Han felt worried as his master made magical symbols in the air with a mean tone.

How many people would send a message to the Mad Doppelganger right now?

Only one person came to mind…

“Could it be the Yaksha King?”

“Indeed. I guess you want to learn the Yakshas’ writing.”

‘Not really.’

He didn’t want to learn it, but he felt annoyed as the Mad Doppelganger read the symbols in the air and nodded.

Should he have learned it?

“I see.”

“…What does it say?”

“It says you have started to enter the Small World.”

The Mad Doppelganger didn’t change his expression. That made Lee Han even more scared.

‘That Yaksha jerk?’

Lee Han gritted his teeth.

He had been nice and ignored the tricks the Yaksha had played on him.

But this was the ambush he got in return.

He really was a terrible person.

“It’s just an introduction; I’ve only heard about it. I don’t really understand it yet.”

The Mad Doppelganger didn’t answer.

Instead, he looked Lee Han up and down and thought. The silence made Lee Han even more scared.

“Vasilios, right?”

“…Yes, that’s right, but I’ve only heard about it…”

“Indeed. I thought so.”

The Mad Doppelganger thought again. The silence lasted even longer, and Lee Han thought about running away.

“Excellent.”

“?!”

Lee Han was surprised by the sudden praise.

“Yes?”

“I said excellent. I know you want to be praised twice, but don’t be so greedy.”

“…It’s not that. I don’t understand it yet, so I was surprised you said it was excellent.”

The Mad Doppelganger thought one last time.

After a long silence, the Mad Doppelganger finally spoke.

“No. Just keep doing what you’re doing. That will be good.”

“?????”

Lee Han was even more confused.

Was the Mad Doppelganger misunderstanding something?

“Just keep doing what I’m doing… I don’t understand, but… is that possible?”

“It is understandable that you are confused. I have to be nice to a foolish student.”

“Oh, what is it?”

Lee Han’s face lit up.

Could it be a book like >An Easy Guide to Entering the Small World>?

‘Heh heh.’

It was the start of a new week.

Dirette hung a toad leather balloon at the entrance of the >Poison, Bone, Blood> lecture hall on the second basement floor and smiled.

She thought she had done a good job.

Yucbeltire was painting darkness on the lecture hall wall next to her. He asked as if he didn’t understand.

“This is useless and doesn’t help your magic…”

“Shut up.”

“But it doesn’t help with magic…”

“Quiet.”

“Saying ‘be quiet’ doesn’t make you right, Dirette…”

“Yeah, be quiet.”

“……”

Yucbeltire finished painting the darkness on the wall, looking a bit sulky.

Dirette was a good mage, but she often made bad choices, and this was one of them.

She used the debt Yucbeltire owed her just to make these decorations…

It was like using a sword made to kill a dragon on a mouse.

But she couldn’t help it. Most students thought, ‘If I become a professor, I’ll do things differently.’

Dirette was the same.

She had studied with some boring professors, but she had decided that if she ever got to teach, she would do things differently.

She would give a lecture that would make the students laugh and be happy!

But it was hard.

Once the semester started, Dirette was busy preparing for lectures. If a talented student hadn’t taken care of everything from tutorials to school funds, it would have been even harder.

She hadn’t had any free time, but now she finally had a chance.

Lectures were stopped for club week.

Dirette used this time to prepare things.

She put up a toad leather balloon (which made the dark basement lecture hall cheerful), painted the lecture hall walls with darkness (if you looked closely, you could see the undead moving), and served strawberry slush in skull glasses (delicious).

It was too bad that only one student would see this.

“Hmm. Should I bring undead and have them sit at the empty desks? To make it feel even more like a festival?”

“……”

Yucbeltire ignored her, pretending not to hear. Dirette poked her friend until she spoke.

“…I really think it’s useless…”

“Yeah, I should do it.”

“……”

Dirette brought the undead and sat them in chairs, even though her friend’s fingers were shaking.

As she prepared, she thought she should have done this in front of the freshmen this year.

If she had, more students would have applied to the Black Magic School.

‘My student would be so surprised if they saw this!’

The lecture hall felt like a festival (for black magic), and Dirette felt confident.

She could even hold a >Black Magician Festival> in the city!

Creak-

The door opened, and Lee Han came in.

Lee Han stopped when he saw the lecture hall, which was very different.

‘What is this? Is it a trap?’

“Surprise!” Dirette shouted.

Lee Han cautiously answered, “Yes, I’m surprised. But what is this…”

“I decorated the lecture hall while we were on break. So you can learn in a fun way!”

“Ah.”

Lee Han realized why the lecture hall was different.

It was like a festival!

‘It wasn’t a trap.’

Once he knew why, it was easy to answer.

“It’s wonderful! It’s probably the best lecture hall in Einroguard. If people knew I was learning here, they would be jealous, right?”

Dirette was happy with Lee Han’s reaction.

“Really? Really?”

“Yes. But, I want to tell you something… is that okay?”

“Speak freely. We’re in the same school, right?”

Dirette didn’t notice that Lee Han was being more polite.

“Um… someone else will be taking the lecture.”

“I don’t mind. Who is it?”

It wasn’t hard to audit lectures in Einroguard.

Even if you weren’t taking a lecture, you could listen if you needed the knowledge.

Dirette thought one of Lee Han’s friends needed some black magic knowledge.

“This is the person.”

“Magician. Start teaching.”

Dirette was surprised to see the Mad Doppelganger, who had quietly entered and sat down while she was talking to Lee Han. She fell backward.