Surviving As A Mage In A Magic Academy [EN]: Chapter 1031

“…I understand, for now.”

The Archmage looked confused, but he was not like other people. He was calmer and thought more clearly.

He took a deep breath, and his face became calm again.

He was still confused. Why was this young person talking about big plans and not wanting anything for himself?

He thought for a moment. ‘Maybe,’ he thought, ‘this young person is like a true artist. A great artist should be accepted for who they are.’

“You say you have the saddest fate in the Empire. You want to become a pyromancer and offer yourself as a sacrifice. Who am I to stop you?”

Lee Han looked at the artist, unsure what to think.

The artist said he understood, but his voice and eyes did not seem to agree.

“I think you’ve said enough about that,” Lee Han said, feeling a bit uncomfortable.

“But remember, others who tried this before did not end well.”

The artist did not give up easily.

The artist had seen and learned too much to just say ‘Okay, good luck’ so easily.

If Lee Han was serious, the artist would try to change his mind slowly and gently.

“Let me guess why you’re here. You came with the two professors… so you must be here on behalf of the Petrograd wizards who find me suspicious, am I right?”

Lee Han was surprised by the sudden change of subject.

Lee Han knew the artist was sure of himself, so he just agreed.

“I won’t deny it.”

“It’s normal to worry. Students who learned from the old headmaster often cause trouble and big changes.”

The great artist did not get angry at the Petrograd wizards.

Why would he get angry at them when he wasn’t the Headmaster?

Also, the Headmaster’s old students were often a bit strange and unpredictable. So, the artist understood why the Petrograd wizards were worried.

“But don’t worry too soon. I will leave when I finish my work. Making trouble here would be more dangerous for me.”

“A stir?”

Lee Han wondered if causing a stir would alert the Headmaster and bring him flying over.

But the artist shook his head.

“I might have left the school, but many people still think of me as part of it. If people know I’m here, my enemies will come. We don’t want that, right?”

The great artist was more concerned about other enemies than the Headmaster.

The Headmaster had many enemies, from magical criminals to other powerful wizards. They would still see the artist as a threat, even if he said he wasn’t a student anymore.

“I see. Wait, in that case, we don’t need to worry about the Headmaster?”

“Not quite.”

‘Not quite,’ Lee Han thought. ‘The Headmaster might not be as quick to attack as other enemies, but it’s still best if he doesn’t know the artist is here.’

Even if the artist thought he owed nothing to the Headmaster, the Headmaster was strange and might think differently.

“I have no intention of causing a stir or starting a fight. So, if you want me to leave Petrograd, there’s only one way.”

As he spoke, the great artist pointed at Lee Han. Lee Han asked with a nervous voice.

“A duel?”

“…Didn’t you hear me say I have no intention of starting a fight?”

“Ah. Sorry. It’s a habit because of the professors.”

“You’re going to help me with my work.”

“Me?”

Lee Han was puzzled.

Apart from the difficulty of assisting a powerful Archmage’s work, more than anything…

“Wouldn’t the professors be better?”

“I don’t want to work with those stupid traitors, not even for a moment.”

“…Ah, yes.”

“Don’t worry too much. There must have been an error in the magic that moved them.”

Dalser reassured the two professors.

Professor Garcia cared deeply for her students and would be more shocked.

But there was no need to worry too much.

It was just a mistake in the magic that moved them, not an attack.

At worst, he’s just at the wrong door. He must still be somewhere in Petrograd.

“It’s not Lee Han I’m worried about. Frankly, Lee Han can take care of himself no matter where he ends up.”

The students behind Professor Garcia were slightly taken aback by her words.

Of course, they agreed, but Professor Garcia was usually a bit more… concerned, wasn’t she?

“Aren’t you a little too unconcerned?”

“Honestly, it might be Wodanaz’s own fault…”

While the students whispered amongst themselves, Professor Garcia continued.

“What worries me is the Headmaster’s old student. If we go to see him without Lee Han, we might get kicked out of Petrograd right away.”

“You’re worrying too much. They both went to the same school, right?”

Dalser thought Garcia was worrying too much.

Surely, the artist wouldn’t kick out people who went to the same school as him?

However, Professor Garcia and Professor Voladi shook their heads with serious expressions.

“…Re-really??”

“Yes.”

Students who had left the Headmaster’s group, before or after Einroguard, didn’t like the teachers here.

People thought of them as the Headmaster’s helpers, servants, spies, and things like that.

And sometimes, that was true.

“We need to find Lee Han quickly and stick together. Otherwise, we might all get expelled, leaving only Lee Han behind.”

-Wodanaz family, right? Lucky guy. Talking to a famous artist alone.

-The artist is probably giving him advice. Good chance for those Einroguard students, even if they are a bit rough.

“…Found him.”

The group breathed a sigh of relief.

It was surprising he found his way back, but at least the problem was solved for now.

Professor Voladi lightly tapped Professor Garcia’s shoulder.

“What is it?”

Garcia felt puzzled by her senior professor’s words.

“Are you worried? But that person isn’t that dangerous.”

Now that they were in Petrograd and had talked to other students, Garcia was almost sure who the artist was.

If she was right, he wasn’t dangerous. He would probably feel sorry for the Einroguard students and want to help them.

“Wodanaz might be persuaded.”

“Uh…”

Professor Garcia was momentarily speechless at the unexpected point.

Until now, she had only been thinking about how to persuade the other to leave Petrograd, but now she realized that the other could also persuade them.

Especially if the professors weren’t around.

Didn’t ‘that artist’ think it was his most important job to help Einroguard students leave?

If Lee Han was persuaded and suddenly left, saying, ‘Goodbye, professors, I’m leaving Einroguard to find happiness in my life’…

Alsicl, who was listening beside them, widened his eyes and said.

“…Wait, wouldn’t that be a good thing? It would be a happy thing for Wodanaz… Why, why are you looking at me like that? Voladi Begrek.”

Alsicl, intimidated by Professor Voladi’s gaze, subtly hid behind Professor Garcia.

Professor Garcia, as if annoyed, grabbed Alsicl and returned him to his original spot.

“Petrograd is more boring than I thought.”

“Shhh. Be quiet. You’re acting rude.”

The White Tiger Tower students tried to hide their boredom during the Petrograd tour.

They liked swords more than books, but they didn’t need to show off.

“But the Blue Dragon Tower guys are doing the same thing over there.”

Gainando shouted, rolling around on the grass, “Ugh! It’s so boring!”

Adenart stayed far away from Gainando. He really didn’t want people to think they were together.

“There were some decent paintings and sculptures, go take a look,” Yoner said, who had taken a look around with Nilia.

However, Gainando scoffed.

“I’d rather read a magazine than look at that stuff.”

“Are you bored?”

Gainando was surprised and opened his eyes at the Petrograd student who spoke to him.

Looking closely, it was the Petrograd student they had met on the way here, the one they had mistaken for a corpse.

“Y-you are…”

“Bunarzo.”

“G-Gainando. I’m an imperial prince.”

Adenart looked around and quickly covered his head with his cloak.

He was worried that Gainando might say, ‘He’s an imperial prince too’.

“I see. Gainando.”

“You were playing outside the whole time. Why did you come back?”

“Why are you angry?”

“I’m not angry!”

Bunarzo didn’t understand why the Einroguard students were angry.

There were strange magic school students in the world who got angry just watching others play.

“You’re a strange fellow. I came back because I got everything I wanted.”

After speaking, Bunarzo rummaged through his equipment.

Carving tools, chisels, hammers, saws, and other magical items appeared.

The Einroguard students, who had been idle and bored, gathered one by one.

What amazing magic would Petrograd show them, like everyone said it would?

“Princess, how is that sculpture?”

“Excellent. But it seems too rough…”

Bunazro heard that and replied.

“This is my taste.”

“But isn’t it too rough?”

The Petrograd student shrugged and focused on his work again.

The wyvern sculpture, which looked much rougher and fiercer than its original form, quickly took shape.

“…Wait. Did you just see that, Nilia?”

“Huh? Huh? I wasn’t sleeping.”

Nilia answered, flustered, at her friend’s question. Yoner pointed to the wings and asked.

“Look at those wings.”

“Wings? Uh… Wyvern wings don’t look like that. That’s inefficient. Have you never seen a wyvern?”

“…I-it’s because this is cooler.”

Bunazro, who hadn’t shown any emotion today, stuttered.

However, Yoner didn’t care. That wasn’t the important thing right now.

“Didn’t those wings move?”

“How can they move when he hasn’t even cast a spell yet?”

The other friends next to them were puzzled.

The Petrograd student had only been sculpting and hadn’t cast any spells yet. The wyvern, which was just a stone, couldn’t move.

“It can move,” Bunarzo answered, as if annoyed.

“What?”

“I said it can move. Sometimes, when I’m really inspired, my carvings become magic on their own, even without me casting spells.”

‘…Primal magic!?’

Gainando grumbled as if to say, ‘Don’t lie’, but some of the quick-witted students realized what the other was talking about and were horrified.

A form of magic that worked differently from current imperial magic.

Yoner thought to himself.

‘No way. To move a statue of that size, you’d have to layer enchanting magic with transformation magic several times…’

There was a reason why they didn’t use primal magic in the Empire.

It wasn’t very useful because it was weak, unpredictable, and not steady.

“It’s pretty good today. You guys can see it too.”

“See what… Ack!”

The Einroguard students all stood up from their seats.

The half-finished wyvern sculpture was slowly flapping its wings and moving.

Bunazro said with pride.

“Real magic is when you make magic happen that even the magician doesn’t know how to do on purpose. Like this.”

Bunazro himself didn’t know how he made the wyvern come alive.

But sometimes, when he was inspired and lucky, this kind of magic just happened by accident.

The wyvern sculpture slowly turned back into stone. Bunarzo tapped the sculpture and said.

“I’m not that great, but there are much more amazing magicians. They can do magic that is much stronger and harder. Especially that artist who just arrived, he’s unbelievable.”

“Beyond imagination?”

“He’s trying to breathe eternal life into his works.”

“…Sh-shouldn’t we call Wodanaz?”