Surviving As A Mage In A Magic Academy [EN]: Chapter 1107

A knight spoke, his voice hesitant. “Master, what’s wrong?”

“Master, aren’t there many students who can set fires? Besides, Lord Wodanaz isn’t that dissatisfied with things as they are.”

“Wrong!” Zoulin said firmly, denying the knight’s words. “Lee Han is very angry!”

Zoulin knew Lee Han would be angry. Lee Han wanted to meet the contractor and the dragon, but someone was stopping him.

The skeletal headmaster replied calmly, “Regardless of his anger, didn’t Wodanaz say he would come himself? If he was angry, he might have started a fire to cause trouble.”

The Headmaster sounded very sure of himself. He probably learned the spell by now.

It’s hard to trick the dragons because they can see the future. Therefore, his disciple would inevitably confuse the Dragon race, weakening their precognitive abilities.

The Death Knight paused, then agreed. “I-Indeed!”

At first, it seemed strange, but it makes sense now.

Maybe the master really does know Lee Han best.

“Sorry, Master!” The Death Knight said. “I was wrong to doubt you!”

The Headmaster chuckled, enjoying the praise. “Haha. It’s alright. Not everyone is as clever as me, an Archmage!”

However, Zoulin’s shoulders slumped. He looked down at the floor, his face sad.

“Lee Han is burning down the territory because of Zoulin…”

The Headmaster often said silly things, but usually Zoulin believed him. “Don’t worry too much,” he said. “To become a great wizard, you need to set some fires.”

Zoulin wasn’t swayed this time. He just kept sighing and feeling depressed.

‘He has grown a lot indeed,’ The skeletal headmaster admired inwardly and slyly suggested.

The Headmaster leaned closer and whispered, with a sly smile. “Why don’t you ask Wodanaz? He won’t care at all.”

Zoulin mumbled, “Zoulin can’t become a dragon like Azirmo…”

The Headmaster waved his hand dismissively. “There’s no need to become such a dragon…”

“Huh?” Zoulin looked up, confused.

“It’s nothing,” the Headmaster said quickly. “Here. Ask him.”

Zoulin took the quill, his shoulders still slumped, and slowly wrote a message.

After a while…

“Huh? Lee Han says he didn’t do it?”

The Headmaster snorted, a dry, rattling sound. “Tell him not to lie. That cunning fellow.”

Certainly, this disciple deserved to become a great wizard. He could lie even in this situation!

The room was silent. The knights stood stiffly, avoiding the Headmaster’s gaze. Then, the door opened, and Lee Han stepped in.

Lee Han stood in the doorway, his eyes narrowed, glaring at the Headmaster.

The knights had nothing to say.

‘Damn it. It definitely sounded convincing when I heard it,’ Lee Han thought.

“Logically, if a fire was set, the seniors would have done it, not me, right?”

The skeletal headmaster turned his gaze away and grumbled. “You could have done it…”

He never expected his prediction to be wrong.

“You’re good at sneaking around, Lee Han. And even if Uman used the Scales of Souls to check you, I thought you’d be able to trick them. So, I thought you did it.”

“I’m just afraid of the way you think, Headmaster,” Lee Han said. “Wait a minute. What do you mean it would be difficult to catch me even if Uman examines me with the Scales?”

At Lee Han’s question, the skeletal headmaster gave him a look as if he were the dumbest person in the room.

“Don’t you know what the Scales of Souls are?”

“I heard it’s a relic that binds souls and puts them on a scale to confess their crimes.”

The Headmaster can correct him with a simpler explanation: “It’s more than that. It’s a magical scale that forces people to tell the truth. But…”

The Death Knight explains why it won’t work on Lee Han: “L-Lord Wodanaz. Just like the freshman protection magic that doesn’t work on students above the second grade, the magic to bind and drag out souls probably won’t work either.”

Lee Han’s eyes widened. “Ah, I see!”

“How am I supposed to understand when you explain it like that?”

“How are you getting more and more shameless? More importantly, if you didn’t set the fire… what? Is weird? What did you learn?”

“So, how did you learn the spell, ? The one that uses music magic?”

“Huh? Didn’t you send me knowing I had the sheet music?”

Lee Han shrugged. “Professor Pacelette ran off as soon as he saw me. But a senior student helped me. We used some music magic to finish it.”

The skeletal headmaster nodded slightly and said. “Indeed. Just as I expected.”

Lee Han looked at the Headmaster with narrowed eyes. ‘You didn’t expect that at all, did you?’ he thought.

While Lee Han was giving him a suspicious look, the skeletal headmaster called the Death Knights.

“Track down Professor Pacelette. Even if you can’t catch him, weaken his precognitive abilities as much as possible.”

-Yes. Understood.

The Headmaster waved his hand dismissively. “Never mind Pacelette. The important thing is you learned the spell! Now you can visit us more often, Lee Han.”

Sure enough, Zoulin’s face lit up like a lamp. He clapped his hands together, bouncing on his heels.

“Wow!!!!! Then…!”

Zoulin, very excited, started counting on his fingers, his eyes wide with excitement.

“We have to play chess, finish that ball game we were playing last time… um… um… right! How about coming to play for about 10 days next week?”

Lee Han couldn’t say yes.

“Um. Your Highness.”

“Yeah?”

“I have to go out soon because of a request.”

Zoulin’s smile faded. He stopped counting his fingers and looked at Lee Han, his eyes suddenly serious.

Lee Han and the Headmaster watched Zoulin, waiting for his reaction.

*Is he going to be okay?* Lee Han wondered.

*He’ll be fine,* the Headmaster thought. *His Highness has grown a lot recently.*

If it were the old Zoulin, he would have returned to his original dragon form and cried so much that the village would be flooded, but the current Zoulin was not the old Zoulin.

The skeletal headmaster himself was surprised at how much he was growing every time he saw him.

A roar of despair escaped Zoulin’s throat. Then, the tears started. Not just normal tears, but huge, shimmering drops that splashed like rain.

“Damn it.”

The skeletal headmaster yelped and jumped back, scrambling away from Zoulin like he was facing a fire-breathing dragon. Lee Han, who was a step late, had to face the tear shower as it came.

Well, well. Looks like even *my* brilliant predictions can be wrong sometimes. The universe is a mysterious place, isn’t it?

‘I should never trust him again,’ Lee Han thought.

After glaring at the skeletal headmaster, who had run away on his own, Lee Han sighed and stepped forward, patting Zoulin’s snout gently. “Your Highness. Your Highness,” he said softly.

Zoulin, who had returned to his dragon form, cried sadly.

Waaah…

Your Highness. Your Highness.

Zoulin, who was crying, stopped and looked at his contractor.

“Your Highness has grown a lot recently. You shouldn’t cry over something like this.”

Zoulin hasn’t grown at all!

-Wow…

The baby basilisk peeked out of Lee Han’s sleeve, then quickly ducked back inside, burying its face in its tiny tail. It seemed to be trying to disappear from embarrassment.

‘I wasn’t that bad!’ Zoulin thought.

Oh, come on, Lee Han. Even *you* have to admit he’s still a bit… dramatic.

“Be quiet,” Lee Han snapped at the skeletal headmaster, who was sneering next to him, and then knelt down beside Zoulin, speaking in a calm, soothing voice. “Your Highness, listen to me…”

“You can meet me when you come back after finishing the request.”

Really… Really? How long is the request? Once this semester?

Zoulin sniffed, his tears slowing. He looked at Lee Han, a flicker of hope in his golden eyes. Lee Han felt a wave of despair wash over him. *How long is this request going to take?* he thought.

“…A little longer.”

Twice?

“…A little longer…”

Three times?

“Just a little more than that…”

Zoulin’s big golden eyes narrowed. He fixed Lee Han with a glare that could melt steel. Fresh tears welled up, threatening to spill again.

The skeletal headmaster rolled his eye sockets, a gesture that somehow conveyed extreme impatience. ‘Alright, alright,’ he said, throwing his hands up in the air.

“Your Highness. If you’re going to be like this, why don’t you just go with him on the request?”

Lee Han’s jaw dropped. “Wait, what? Are *you* going on the request, Headmaster?!” he stammered, his eyes wide with disbelief.

Lee Han’s mind raced. *This has to be a trap. What is that evil Archmage planning now?*

The Headmaster grinned, a wide, skull-like smile that promised trouble. ‘Why, Lee Han, my dear disciple,’ he purred, ‘don’t you *want* His Highness to come along?'”

Lee Han groaned inwardly. *As soon as I get back, I am *definitely* talking to Uman about a new Headmaster. Anything would be better than this.*

“Your Highness. When I go out on a request, I don’t go alone. Professor Begreck and Professor Garcia basically go with me. Sometimes I go with other students too.”

Zoulin’s eyes widened again. “Then I can come too!” he exclaimed, his voice full of hope.

Lee Han sighed, running a hand through his hair. He looked at Zoulin’s hopeful face, then back at the Headmaster’s smug grin. He knew he was defeated. “…Yes,” he said slowly, “fine. Go ahead.”

One of the Death Knights spoke up, his voice hesitant but serious. “-But Your Highness. Will the Inspector be alright? I think she’ll be disappointed if she finds out you went without permission…”

Lee Han’s face brightened. *Finally, a voice of reason!* he thought.

Zoulin’s face became very serious. He actually seemed to be considering the consequences. For a whole second. Then, he puffed out his chest and nodded firmly. “Um! Zoulin will worry about that later!”

Lee Han stared at Zoulin, speechless. *No way,* he thought. *He’s actually going to do it. He’s really going to ignore Uman.* This was… unexpected.

The Headmaster clapped his hands together, his skull rattling with enthusiasm. “That’s the spirit, Your Highness! What can Uman *possibly* do if you’ve made up your mind? Absolutely nothing!”

Lee Han clenched his fists, his teeth gritted. He took a deep breath, trying to control his temper. “Headmaster,” he said through gritted teeth, “please, just be quiet.”

“So, that’s why we came together like this?”

“Yes… I’m really sorry.”

Inside the carriage, Lee Han sat hunched over, bowing his head repeatedly to Professor Garcia. “I’m so sorry, Professor,” he mumbled.

Lee Han felt so bad, he didn’t know what to say.

Professor Garcia chuckled. “So, you brought the Princess along? Well, at least you didn’t set the fire, right?” He winked.

Lee Han’s face fell.

Professor Garcia’s eyes widened. “Oh, oh dear! Just kidding, Lee Han! Just a joke! Don’t look so sad!”

Even while the two were talking, Zoulin, completely oblivious to the awkward conversation, was pressed against the carriage window, his nose practically touching the glass. He gazed out at the passing trees and fields with wide, fascinated eyes.

Professor Garcia glanced at the Princess once and lowered his voice a little more to whisper.

“Are you going to come with us on the next request too?”

“That… I have no choice but to trust Lord Uman.”

Professor Garcia swallowed hard. *Oh no,* he thought, a cold dread creeping into his stomach. *This is going to be a regular thing, isn’t it? She’s going to come on *every* request.*

“…Shall we talk about the request? I know Lee Han has received many requests. I’m curious why you chose this one. It’s not a request you can do with your friends, is it?”

Professor Garcia checked the client.

Strangely, it was a request from the Daylily Magic Tower.

“It’s the magic tower that the Headmaster visited and convinced them to donate generously from during the last vacation. I feel a little sorry because of that…”

Professor Garcia’s eyes widened in horror. *Headmaster!* he thought, a silent scream echoing in his mind.

Professor Garcia slumped in his seat, feeling a wave of shame wash over him. He had never been so embarrassed to be a professor at Einroguard.

Moreover, Professor Garcia himself had been similarly used by the skeletal headmaster.

The Headmaster had a trick. He would bring a talented student like Lee Han to visit magic towers and hint that they might join that tower after graduating. This made the magic towers eager to donate to Einroguard to keep the Headmaster happy.

“Lee Han… is really a disciple who is too good for the Headmaster.”

“No. You are an excessive teacher for me.”

“Lee Han!”

Professor Garcia’s eyes glistened with unshed tears. His voice trembled with emotion.

Tap tap-

When he turned his head, Professor Volardi, with a rare gesture of comfort, reached out and patted Professor Garcia awkwardly on the shoulder. Professor Garcia was even more moved.

“Professor Begreck…! You’re also touched…”

Professor Volardi’s voice cut through the sentimentality like a knife. “Time’s up, Professor Garcia. Switch.”

Professor Garcia blinked, his tears instantly drying up. His face fell. “Oh,” he said weakly.