Surviving As A Mage In A Magic Academy [EN]: Chapter 998

“-Th-that’s…”

“-…Professor Verdus was there too!”

Fortunately, one of the knights had a spark of wit.

The other Death Knights looked at their comrade with admiration.

The other knights were impressed. Being clever in a tough spot was what being a knight was all about.

Of course, Professor Verdus hadn’t joined in on his own. He had been kidnapped. But for Einroguard professors, getting kidnapped was practically a crime itself.

And in Professor Verdus’s case, it was even worse.

Still, it’s a relief he wasn’t hurt. What’s this about the doppelganger punishing him? Is he dead?

The Skull Headmaster asked, with a hint of worry in his voice.

Unlike the Skull Headmaster, the doppelganger was driven by ambition and had no mercy. Someone like Professor Verdus could have been killed for being annoyingly nice without meaning to.

Even though magic protected them inside, powerful magic always had ways around the rules. Great wizards were experts at finding these ways.

“-No, sir. The professor isn’t dead.”

The knights pretended not to hear the Skull Headmaster’s mutterings and continued their report.

“-Professor Verdus merely had a rough time. Some of his works were slightly damaged…”

The Headmaster sighed as if in dismay.

If they couldn’t kill Professor Verdus, there weren’t many ways to punish him. One way was to smash Professor Verdus’s creations.

For that beaver-like beast mage, destroying his works was worse than cutting off his limbs.

The Skull Headmaster knew that method. In fact, he had used it a few times before.

Even if he destroyed his works, the shock would only last a few days. And if he destroyed them every time, Einroguard would go broke first.

Most of the works Professor Verdus created were under contract or commissioned. As a mage with so many debts, he had few personal works.

‘Still, it must feel good, right?’ One of the Death Knights thought to himself.

It was rare for students and knights to think the same way, but when it came to Professor Verdus, the thought of ‘I want to kick that guy just once’ often came up.

Still, everyone must have felt good. I wish I could have seen it.

“-!”

“-Here it is.”

The Death Knight respectfully showed the list. It was a list of the artifacts Professor Verdus was working on and the ones that had been damaged.

The Skull Headmaster looked disturbed when he saw it.

“-He broke quite a lot.”

“-There’s more on the back page.”

One knight, not realizing the Headmaster was angry, said more about the damage. The Headmaster, annoyed, told a guard to take that knight to the punishment room too.

The Skull Headmaster shook his head, fed up, and said,

“-Just write the rest down. If I listen to every detail, we’ll be here all day.”

“-How should we punish them?”

“-Just send Professor Bible to the punishment room and leave the rest alone.”

Strictly speaking, Professor Garcia and Professor Volardi were guilty of not reporting things and stealing artifacts. Professor Verdus was guilty of being kidnapped and failing to protect the artifacts.

But the first two were innocent.

The two had a lot of work to do outside, but Professor Verdus could work even in the punishment room.

After all the knights had left, the Skull Headmaster stared at the empty paper.

The white paper looked more scary than a demon from hell. It was for writing letters to the Emperor, the Imperial Treasurer, and noble families.

The Headmaster sighed, the report about Professor Verdus already fading from his mind as more important matters pressed.

The Skull Headmaster called the Death Knight outside again.

“-When Batnaz wakes up, bring him to me. If a talent who will support the Empire asks, they will be a little more lenient.”

“-They may not cooperate because of what the master did.”

The Skull Headmaster sent the loyal knight to the punishment room and called the knight next to him.

“-Bring him.”

“-Yes!”

A wizard’s dream was different from an ordinary person’s dream.

In the school of divination magic, dreams were a powerful tool. In that blurry place, you could guess the future while avoiding problems.

Even if you didn’t go to the school of divination magic, wizards were often affected by strong dreams.

A wizard who made a bad deal might be chased by a monster in his dream. If he made a mistake, his real body would be hurt. A wizard who tried magic that was too hard might see strange things in his dream, like he had eaten bad mushrooms.

So, it was normal for Lee Han to have strong dreams while he was passed out.

In his dream, the Skull Headmaster appeared as a young man, as a Skull Headmaster bound by honor, and as the current evil Skull Headmaster.

Arna, the microcosm, the unique world, the Yaksha King, and all sorts of great magics came out and mixed together, making the dream even harder to understand.

“-…I entrust the world to you.”

“-Hmph. Batnaz, you’re not the first disciple to insult me, and you won’t be the last.”

“-Are you talking about the one who was playing wizard cards while getting taught?”

“-That was Gainan too…”

“-…I entrust the world to you.”

“-Don’t forget the microcosm. Keep trying.”

“-Nobility for others.”

“-You little hamster. Are you causing trouble from the side?”

“-…I entrust the world to you.”

The magic he had learned recently went into his head like melting ice. As the three Skull Headmasters spun around like Hormach’s Cerberus, Lee Han woke up from his dream in a cold sweat.

Lee Han woke up feeling like he had run a marathon while carrying rocks. His head throbbed, and every muscle ached. A baby basilisk was clinging to his arm.

‘…I’ll have to explain later.’

Lee Han planned to say that when the baby basilisk woke up, the reason he had thrown it last time was not his fault but the evil alcohol.

The frost giants’ alcohol clearly had bad side effects.

Lee Han, about to leave his room, remembered what had happened.

Even if he felt empty, there was nothing he could do. The lost wizard didn’t come back, and Lee Han had to do what he had to do.

‘…I have to write a petition to the Empire.’

Lee Han was thinking of sending a petition to the Empire.

A wicked tyrant who doesn’t listen to students is ruling the magic school…

“-Wodanaz!”

Lee Han came downstairs, and his friends, who were studying in the common room, were startled.

“-Are you okay?”

“-I’m okay. I’m a little tired. What’s that next to you?”

Lee Han was confused when he saw a betting board he had never seen before on the wall.

It was a betting board divided into possible and impossible, and the students of the Blue Dragon Tower wrote their names on the side they wanted.

Possible had more names…

“-I see. You bet on when I’d wake up.”

“-No. We bet on whether you could be the valedictorian even if you didn’t take the final exam.”

“-…Thank you, everyone. How long have I been asleep?”

“-Over a week.”

“-!??!”

Lee Han was shocked.

He thought he had slept for a long time, but was it that long?

“-There are still a few days left for the exam, Wodanaz.”

“-We didn’t just play around without you.”

The friends said with proud looks.

The second-year students didn’t play around because of their friendship. They couldn’t play around when their friend had passed out.

“-No. I’m not surprised about the exam.”

“-What?!”

This time, the friends were shocked.

They thought Lee Han would talk about the exam as soon as he woke up.

“-What happened after that? The Headmaster’s doppelganger disappeared.”

“-Ah, that…”

“-Everyone was sad and sorry. Gainan even went to the punishment room.”

“-?!”

Lee Han was surprised.

Even if they were sad, how could Gainan go to the punishment room?

“-Why? Did he attack the Headmaster?”

“-Uh… it’s similar but a little different.”

When the doppelganger disappeared and the Skull Headmaster came back, the students of Einroguard noticed the change.

“-Oh. Where did the Headmaster’s doppelganger go?”

“-I know, right? The Headmaster is here, but why…? Headmaster, do you know where the doppelganger went?”

“-He died.”

“-…Murderer! Murderer!!”

The upperclassmen threw insults at the Skull Headmaster but were beaten up in return.

Lee Han tilted his head.

“-Wait. The seniors were just chased away, but why did Gainan go to the punishment room?”

“-He threw an egg by himself.”

Even if they forgave throwing stones, they couldn’t forgive throwing eggs.

Gainan was dragged to the punishment room for wasting food.

“-…Anyway, I’m glad everyone remembered my teacher.”

“-Wodanaz, are you okay?”

“-I’m okay. It’s a shame, but it can’t be helped.”

Lee Han said sadly.

Maybe, as the Skull Headmaster said, this was a better ending for the doppelganger.

He denied it, but a thought entity bound to the world must have been in pain.

‘Still, I’m writing the petition.’

Now that he thought about it, he should send two copies.

Lee Han decided to send two copies using a fake name.

“-The seniors from the Enchantment Magic School built a memorial in the mountain workshop. Do you want to go see it?”

“-…What? Which school?!”

Lee Han, about to pour coffee into a tin cup, almost dropped it.

Wasn’t that the school least suited for memorials?

“-I was surprised too, but the seniors built it?”

“-Hoo. I see. The seniors from the Enchantment Magic School were also impressed…'”

‘I think they just beat up Professor Verdus.’ The friends thought, but they didn’t say anything because Lee Han seemed happy.

The workshop was gone because of the battle, but the giants were still nearby, sad.

Some students left letters saying, ‘Thank you for beating up Professor Verdus’ and ‘Please come back someday and sit in the Headmaster’s seat’ and left.

The giants cried and hugged those students.

Lee Han appeared. The giants rushed to him.

“-Wodanaz, drink this. It makes sadness go away.”

“-Isn’t that giant magic?”

“-Wizards stay sad because they don’t have this. We have this, so we let go of sadness quickly.”

“-I’m okay.”

The giant magic could send the wizard’s mind away. Lee Han refused.

“-That’s right, Wodanaz. The old Yaksha was waiting for Wodanaz.”

While Lee Han was surprised, a voice came from behind.

“-You’re finally here.”

A familiar old Yaksha walked out from among the giants. He had a bundle in his arms.

“-The chamberlain left you something. He asked me to give it to you.”

“-…Why to the elder?”

The chamberlain didn’t have a relationship with the old Yaksha.

“-Well, there were only giants and this elder around, and he was the better choice.”

The giants were upset and jeered.

“-The wizard made the wrong choice just by looking at the race.”

“-We could have given it to him too!”

“-Anyway, thank you.”