Surviving As A Mage In A Magic Academy [EN]: Chapter 1022

30 minutes later.

Alsicle had some trouble convincing Erindalbell to accept a three-story wizard’s villa in the capital as a gift.

Erindalbell kept nagging, still seeming unwilling.

“But, Alsicle, isn’t it irresponsible to give such a materialistic and insincere gift to someone who will be responsible for the future of the Empire…”

“Let’s go!” Alsicle said.

He pushed the younger wizard forward, eager to leave. Any longer, and he might have to listen to Erindalbell’s complaints all day.

“Mr. Alsicle, I respect you,” Lee Han said.

Alsicle looked puzzled. “Why all of a sudden?”

Lee Han’s eyes were full of admiration. “I’m really grateful that you got me a mansion in the capital.”

“…I appreciate the respect, but couldn’t you respect me for something else?” Alsicle asked.

As they hurried away, they saw some students they recognized in the distance.

At first, they looked like beggars in rags. But when Lee Han saw their wands and emblems, he finally understood. “Ah, they’re Einroguard students!”

“You guys… what are you doing here?” Lee Han asked, surprised.

Looking at the calendar, Einroguard should have been finishing the semester. He didn’t expect to see all his friends in the capital.

Was there a big event in the capital that he didn’t know about?

‘Maybe there’s a magic tournament with a huge prize, supported by a secret sponsor…’ he thought.

“We came to save you,” one student said.

“We came because the headmaster took you,” said another.

“…Ah,” Lee Han replied.

Lee Han immediately snapped out of his daydream when he heard his friends’ answers.

“Thanks, everyone. But it’s all over. It didn’t take long,” he said.

“How did you finish so quickly?” Giselle asked, sounding confused.

Except for cases like Guinan’s mother, it wasn’t easy to persuade the Empire’s angry patrons. Especially when it came to Einroguard, many people were fed up with it.

“Maybe…” Giselle started.

“!”

Lee Han was amazed. ‘Could she have guessed?’ he wondered. The headmaster’s sneaky trick?

“Did you trade Professor Verdus?”

“Wow, you’re smart! I didn’t know there was a way to do that,” Giselle exclaimed.

“As expected of you, Lee Han!”

“…No,” Lee Han said firmly.

To be honest, it was a good idea, but he didn’t use it. That was something to save for when he was really desperate.

“Let’s talk about how you persuaded them later. Since you’re here, why don’t you visit the villa?” Lee Han suggested.

The students readily agreed. It would be more comfortable to stay at the Wodanaz family’s mansion than to find their own places.

‘Huh? But does the Wodanaz family even have a mansion in the capital?’ Yoner wondered, tilting his head.

Most noble families in the Empire have mansions everywhere. They use them when they travel. But the Wodanaz family is different. They don’t travel much. So, they don’t have many mansions, or so Yoner had heard.

But a villa mansion in the capital… Was it an exception?

“Lee Han, did the Wodanaz family always have a mansion in the capital?” Yoner asked.

“Hehe. You asked the right person,” Lee Han said with a confident smile.

He looked happy, as if he had been waiting for someone to ask.

“Actually, I got it as a reward for this request.”

“…Could you explain in a little more detail?” Yoner asked.

Alsicle looked around the outside of the mansion and whistled softly. “Oh. Not bad.”

The other students didn’t seem to agree.

First, they saw the path from the main gate to the house. It was almost hidden! Thorny vines and thick green leaves had grown wild, like a small, untamed jungle. The air hung heavy with the damp, earthy smell of overgrown plants.

Most mansions have flower gardens, regular gardens, or greenhouses for relaxing. But this mansion was different. The path and the greenhouse were all mixed together.

The house itself wasn’t in great shape either.

Black smoke and pale spirits drifted from the chimney on the third floor. The windows on the second floor were broken.

If you listened closely, you could hear strange screams coming from somewhere in the mansion.

“…Is this really a villa mansion?” one student asked.

“Wow, maybe it’s because it belongs to the Wodanaz family,” another said sarcastically.

Even the students from the Black Tortoise Tower, who were usually brave, looked disgusted. It was more like an abandoned house than a villa.

“Why are you all like that? This is pretty good,” Alsicle said, looking confused.

“I haven’t traveled all over the Empire, but I don’t think this kind of villa is popular anywhere…” one student replied.

“Oh? That’s true for a normal villa. But this is a villa that a wizard used to use,” Alsicle explained.

A normal aristocrat or rich person would care about how a villa looked. But a wizard just uses a villa as a workshop.

This was a pretty good mansion for a wizard’s workshop.

“The building is in good shape. Nothing has turned into a monster. It’s easy to clean up. If you clean it for a few days, it will be a very useful magic workshop,” Alsicle said confidently.

The students started to believe him. Maybe he was right.

“Well, if you think of this as a building in the Einroguard territory, it’s a pretty good building,” one student admitted.

“That’s right. Lee Han might get upset, so let’s not say anything too bad,” another added.

The friends decided not to criticize the family’s villa in front of Lee Han. Even a strong friend like him could be hurt if they made fun of his family’s choice.

“Lee Han, this mansion has a very… unique beauty,” Adenart said, choosing her words carefully.

Lee Han was looking around the mansion with a satisfied expression. He was confused by Adenart’s sudden comment.

‘Does Adenart want it too?’ he wondered.

It was possible. Adenart was smart. Maybe she realized the potential of a mansion in the capital.

The messy exterior didn’t matter. The location was what was important.

“I’m sorry, Adenart. But I didn’t take it. Ms. Erindalbell gave it to me,” Lee Han said.

“…?”

Adenart tilted her head, not understanding.

“Are you talking about the headmaster?” she asked.

“No? Ms. Erindalbell,” Lee Han replied.

“…My mother gave you this mansion?!?!?!” Adenart exclaimed.

She rarely showed emotion, so her reaction was surprising. She couldn’t believe it.

Lee Han felt a little bad. It seemed like she wanted it more than he thought.

“The truth is, Ms. Erindalbell didn’t just give it to me. There’s a complicated story…”

“Why would my mother give such a worthless gift? I don’t understand,” Adenart interrupted.

“…It’s not that bad, is it?” Lee Han asked.

He spoke informally because he was more shocked by her words than he expected. Worthless?

“My mother usually gives much more meaningful gifts. I think there was some kind of misunderstanding. I’ll go talk to her myself. You shouldn’t receive a gift like this,” Adenart insisted.

“No, no, no. It’s okay! It’s meaningful! It’s all meaningful!” Lee Han said quickly, blocking her path. He didn’t want to ruin Alsicle’s efforts.

Adenart looked at him with wide eyes. “Meaningful? How…”

Boom!

“Aaargh!”

Guinan, who had gone to check the basement pantry, flew out with a scream.

She rolled away.

“What? What’s going on?” Lee Han asked.

“T, there’s a wizard’s ghost in the basement…” Guinan stammered.

“!”

Adenart was very surprised. Was this the meaning behind her mother’s gift? ‘What does it mean?’ she wondered.

“So, you opened the door to the basement pantry, and a wizard’s ghost appeared and chased you out?” Lee Han asked.

“Yeah,” Guinan replied.

“Undead? Curse?”

“It could be magic that looks like a ghost. You can imitate it with enchantment magic,” another student suggested.

“The prince may be mistaken. There are wizards who disguise themselves as ghosts,” said another.

“Why? Why do they disguise themselves as ghosts?” Lee Han asked.

Alsicle, who had been listening, answered, “It’s possible. They need money. They sell the mansion and then hide in the basement to continue their research.”

“…Ah, really?”

“Oh, um, that’s…” Alsicle hesitated.

Then, looking around, he said, “Some graduates of a certain magic school do that.”

The Einroguard students regretted asking.

Lee Han shrugged and said, “Let’s finish the work first.”

“Okay. Lee Han, I and the others will go first, so you… wait, aren’t we supposed to check the basement?” Salco asked, pausing.

At first, he thought Lee Han was going to check the basement. But he was heading to the kitchen on the first floor.

“Huh? The basement isn’t urgent. We have to clean the kitchen first so we can eat,” Lee Han explained.

“As expected of Lee Han,” Guinan said admiringly.

Since this wasn’t Einroguard, they didn’t have to get food from the basement. They could just buy ingredients and cook in the kitchen.

His friends trusted him because he was so practical.

“Ah, no…! Aren’t you worried!?” Salco asked.

“If it was dangerous, it would have come up instead of staying in the basement. Don’t worry. Let’s clean up what’s important first. Could you clean the reception room?” Lee Han replied.

The friends had a lot to say, but they kept quiet and followed Lee Han’s instructions.

Salco muttered, “Lee Han seems to have become stranger…”

Giselle nodded absentmindedly. He was always bold, but after a few more incidents at Einroguard, he had become someone they couldn’t understand.

If that continued, he might be calmly drinking coffee even if a dimensional rift appeared in front of him.

Lee Han looked around the kitchen, unaware that his friends were watching him suspiciously.

The previous owner wasn’t interested in cooking, so the kitchen was full of dust and cobwebs.

‘I should clean the fireplace first,’ he thought.

Lee Han waved his wand and cleaned the area around the fireplace. The dust couldn’t withstand his repeated use of telekinesis and water magic.

Then, a pale wizard’s ghost suddenly appeared from inside the fireplace.

“-Solve the magic I left behi-”

Whack!

The ghost was hit by a spinning water orb and shattered.

Lee Han was annoyed. He reacted too quickly and didn’t hear what the ghost was saying.

‘Damn. What was he trying to say?’