Surviving As A Mage In A Magic Academy [EN]: Chapter 1042

Even though Jo Ulin could do whatever she wanted, Lee Han had to be more careful. He refused firmly.

“I can’t.”

“Is that so? Oh, well.”

The artist didn’t seem to mind much because he had already gotten the Mandragora.

The members of the Garden Club might be disappointed, but this one Mandragora was enough for the artist.

“Excuse me. Could we stop by there for a moment?”

As Lee Han left the garden club hall, he pointed to another doorway. Inside, shiny toys made of white metal were on display.

A sign above said: “Toy Fair from Plahur, Granden, and Ileinas Cities.”

The artist looked surprised. “…Toys? Aren’t second-year students supposed to be cool and collect wizard cards?” he asked.

The artist, who was older and thought he was very wise, believed that second-year students at Einrogaard, a famous magic school, should be collecting wizard cards. Fourth-year students should be playing chess, and sixth-year students should just give up all the joys of life.

Even wizard cards were okay, but toys? That was strange.

“Ah, I’m not going to use it. It’s a gift.”

“Ah ha. For a young relative?”

“No. It’s for Princess Jo Ulin.”

“?????”

The noblewoman tilted her head sharply, peacock feathers on her hat wobbling. She couldn’t understand why a dragon would need such toys.

‘Ah, I see. Maybe she wants to check them out or study them because she’s curious.’

He remembered that Wooman had also gotten the wizard card ‘karma’ from the last dragon.

It made sense that Princess Jo Ulin might want to see what toys other people in the empire played with.

While the artist was confused, Lee Han quickly searched his pouch to check his gold. Because he sold the Mandragora, he had a lot of money.

‘Buy a gift for Jo Ulin, buy a gift for Basil… I’ll have enough to buy what my other friends need, too.’

“I wanted to join the auction…”

“That’s enough. I’ll buy them all.”

The artist stopped the talk between the seller and Lee Han, who was going to join the auction. Lee Han was surprised.

“I was going to buy these with my own gold.”

“Don’t waste time just because you are a student at Einrogaard. If she wants to study them, she’ll like it more if you bring more toys.”

“Study them? Well, she’ll probably break them easily, so it’s good to bring a lot.”

Lee Han nodded, thinking about Jo Ulin’s great strength.

At least a few would be broken while playing together, and it was better for them to be toys than for it to be Lee Han.

The artist took out a pocket watch with green jewels and checked the time.

He had gotten the Mandragora he wanted, and he had heard about a work of art that came to life a little. So, he wanted to go back to his new place and work on his art.

…It wasn’t good to walk around the capital for too long, where he might run into a crazy archmage…

“Are you done?”

“Do you have something to do? I was going to pick out some gifts for my friends.”

“You mean your friends from the Blue Dragon Tower? Well, someone like you would be like that.”

A student who was famous in the Skull Headmaster’s group would probably be a leader in the tower, just like Professor Garcia.

“Professor Garcia what?”

“Ah. It’s nothing.”

“…?”

Lee Han was confused, but the artist didn’t want to tell him.

Even if he was older, he couldn’t beat a fist.

“Ah. Senior. I have to pick out gifts for friends from other towers besides the Blue Dragon Tower, so it might take longer.”

“…Why????”

The artist was confused.

Lee Han finished buying gifts while walking around the auction house. The artist kept tilting his head, not understanding even while paying. Then, Lee Han said goodbye and went to see his friends.

He saw a very rare race in the crowd: penguin people.

People looked at them with envy and whispered about them.

“Mr. Alsicl! …Or not?”

Lee Han shouted when he saw the plump back of a penguin person, but then he realized he was wrong.

They were both penguin people, but this person wasn’t Alsicl.

‘Wait a minute. He looks familiar?’

“Hello, Senior!”

The penguin person ran up and bowed.

Lee Han knew why he looked familiar. It was Alhidle, not Alsicl, from the same Pengaerin family.

He was a first-year student at Einrogaard!

“Alhidle?”

“You remember me? Wow, I’m really honored!”

“…Did you get in trouble and get punished this semester?”

Lee Han asked seriously.

Alhidle used to be confident and arrogant because of his good family.

And he was actually talented. The Skull Headmaster had tricked him, saying, ‘Lee Han is just okay at Einrogaard. Why don’t you fight him, haha.’ But he was still talented.

For such a talented person to be so polite and respectful, looking around every time he breathed, there was only one reason.

‘Those crazy guards. Are they doing this to a first-year student?’

Lee Han cursed the Death Knights in his mind. As undead, they didn’t understand human feelings.

“I have never been to the disciplinary chamber.”

“What? Don’t say that. You must have run away or explored. Ah. Maybe you didn’t get caught at all? Amazing?”

“No. I studied in my room during my free time.”

Lee Han took a step back.

He felt the scary madness inside Alhidle.

“But what are you holding?”

“Gifts for my friends.”

“I’ll carry them for you.”

“Wait a…”

Alhidle quickly helped with the pile of gifts on Lee Han’s arms, and then he almost fell.

‘No?!’

He didn’t know it was so heavy because his senior was carrying it so easily. He almost fell just holding one gift box.

“W-What is this?!”

“That’s why I told you to wait. Are you okay? That’s a Salco Steel anvil, so it’s quite heavy.”

Alhidle, the top student of the Blue Dragon Tower and a promising magician from the Pengaerin family, looked at Lee Han with respect.

‘I still have a long way to go!’

“I’ll cast a reinforcement spell.”

“As expected… Your magic skills, Senior, have been honed because you never stop training, even in everyday life.”

“What are you talking about?”

Lee Han was confused.

At Einrogaard, people got used to walking around with heavy things while running away or carrying supplies. Lee Han had increased his weight limit by using reinforcement magic, knight-style physical enhancement with magic, and telekinesis magic.

Because of this, he was known as Einrogaard’s best porter, but he wasn’t sure because he hadn’t competed with his seniors. He only did it because he had to, not for training.

“Aenrurde told me?”

Lee Han shouted the name of his junior, who wasn’t there, in his mind.

‘Spreading false rumors!’

“This isn’t for training, it’s to survive in Einrogaard…”

“I respect you. I will also try carrying heavy loads and walking around from now on.”

“If you respect me, why don’t you listen to what I say?”

Lee Han was speechless, but Alhidle had already decided. He was thinking of going to a quarry and putting stones in his backpack.

“Ah. Senior. Thank you for the food.”

“…I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Lee Han pretended not to know for now.

He had packed food for Aenrurde to share with his friends, but he had hidden his name. He had told Aenrurde not to tell anyone, so surely…

“Didn’t you give it to me, Senior?”

“?”

Alhidle tilted his head and explained why he thought it was Lee Han.

1. Aenrurde got food from someone.

2. When asked who gave it to him, he said it was a ‘senior whose name cannot be revealed’.

3. The senior that Aenrurde usually talks about is only Senior Wodanaz’s group.

4. Ah, it’s Senior Wodanaz!

Lee Han shouted the name of his junior, who wasn’t there, again in his mind.

‘He should have just said he got it himself. Why did he have to lie?’

‘I should teach him how to lie next time I see him. Gainan Do would be a good teacher.’

“Okay… Well… That’s okay. Nothing can be done.”

Lee Han gave up quickly, but he still asked, as if he had some regrets.

“But couldn’t it have been a friend like Gainan Do instead of me?”

“Hahahaha!”

Alhidle laughed for the first time today. He laughed so hard because he heard a joke when he didn’t expect it.

“Hahaha, hahaha! Haha… Wait, were you not joking?”

“…You’ve never met Gainan Do, have you?”

“Yes. But I heard from Aenrurde that he keeps stealing food…”

Lee Han covered his face.

He was more embarrassed than he thought that rumors from his tower were getting out.

“…It’s a misunderstanding. It was a joke.”

“It seems like there were too many times for it to be a joke…”

“Be quiet.”

“Yes!”

Lee Han felt bad when his junior became quiet, so he spoke again.

“No. It’s not your fault. More importantly, how was Einrogaard?”

New students at Einrogaard usually feel like the world is ending. Alhidle had even met the Skull Headmaster before school and heard some lies.

The shock must have been much bigger. Lee Han felt sorry that his junior might be hurt after believing those lies.

“No. I knew he was lying on the first day of school.”

“…Th-That’s right.”

Alhidle was smart. He knew he had been tricked as soon as he entered the school and heard the Skull Headmaster’s harsh words and the professors’ explanations.

“Alhidle, why are you in the capital? You must have traveled far.”

“I came because of a family gathering. I heard that Aenrurde got an invitation from a friend, so we came in the same carriage.”

Lee Han was happy that they came in the same carriage, even though they were from different towers.

Unlike the cold-hearted seniors, the juniors seemed to have been affected by Lee Han’s year, even if only a little.

‘Maybe they became friends because of the food.’

“Did you lend the carriage to Aenrurde to pay him back?”

“That was one reason, but Aenrurde threatened me first and forced his way onto the carriage.”

Lee Han shouted the name of his junior, who wasn’t there, for the third time in his mind.

‘If he had waited, he would have gotten an invitation!’

But Alhidle didn’t care. Petty feelings didn’t matter on the path of magic.

“Wait a minute. Aenrurde got an invitation from a friend?”

Lee Han was unsure. Jo Ulin was the only person who might invite Aenrurde.