Surviving As A Mage In A Magic Academy [EN]: Chapter 1105

“I knew you’d say that.” Lee Han frowned at his senior.

He used to think the older student was amazing at seeing the future. But right now, the senior just looked silly.

“Knowing the future is what divination is all about,” the golem senior said, standing up.

Lee Han quickly moved towards the door. He wanted to make sure the senior couldn’t run.

*‘This kid is quick!’* the golem senior thought, surprised. Blocking the door like that was smart, like a student much older than Lee Han.

“A real wizard can see the future without even using magic,” the senior added.

“Are you trying to trick me so you can escape?” Lee Han asked.

“Okay, okay! I won’t run,” the senior sighed. Being a slow golem made running hard anyway. He gave up on escaping.

Lee Han still watched him closely. He checked again to make sure there was no other way out.

“I said I’m not going anywhere,” the senior repeated.

“I know. Just looking at the… nice decorations,” Lee Han said, pretending to look around.

“You could be a really amazing divination wizard,” the senior said.

“Is that another trick to make me relax?” Lee Han asked, eyes narrowed.

“No, really,” the senior said, sounding honest. A great divination wizard could see many possible futures, like a chess master planning moves ahead. This junior, always suspicious, had the right mind for it. Lee Han even looked suspicious of the compliment!

“But seriously, why did you try to run?” Lee Han asked.

“Well,” the senior said, “ is a tough spell. I need a Ouija board to use it. Teaching it to a second-year like you… it made me nervous.”

“Huh? Nervous? It’s just one spell!” Lee Han was confused. If seniors ran away every time they had to teach a hard spell, he’d have no seniors left! Was this senior just being overly dramatic?

The golem senior looked at him calmly. “Lee Han,” he said, “you’re the second-year who somehow brought the Headmaster’s crazy double and a real dragon to school last term. And this term, you made Professor Krauer run away! ‘Nervous’ is a polite way to put it.”

Lee Han went silent. He felt like he’d been hit by a spell himself. *‘Ouch,’* he thought.

“…But… those were accidents! Really! Give me a minute, I can explain!”

“In the Divination Department,” the senior said dryly, “we have a saying: ‘Stay away from students who cause ‘accidents’.’ But fine, whatever. Someone has to teach you, and it looks like it’s me.”

“Oh, so other seniors don’t know this spell?” Lee Han asked.

“It’s not that,” the senior said, “they’re just… busy.” He pulled back a curtain. Lee Han tensed, ready for him to run. But the senior just revealed another room. Inside, three students were asleep. Strange, glowing balls floated above their heads.

“Still dreaming,” the senior said.

“Divination dreams?” Lee Han asked. “Are they trying to see the future in their sleep?”

“Exactly,” the senior nodded.

“What’s so important they need three people to dream about it together?” Lee Han wondered. Were they already worried about exams?

“They’re trying to find out when the school inspectors are leaving,” the senior said, rolling his eyes.

“…Okay! Magic time!” Lee Han said quickly, wanting to change the subject. The senior just nodded.

“You’ve practiced, right? You know what does?” the senior asked.

“Yeah,” Lee Han said. “It’s from the story about the wizard prince who ran to a hidden fortress to escape death, right?”

“…Uh, no,” the senior blinked. “I just meant, what kind of spell is it? Is *that* where it comes from?” He looked surprised. He’d just learned it from a book and his teacher. He’d never thought about a story. *‘A prince running from death? Interesting,’* he thought.

“Anyway,” he continued, “since you know the story, you know what it does, right?”

“Nope,” Lee Han said.

“…It helps you avoid being seen,” the senior explained. He decided to just teach the spell and forget about the prince story. Maybe if he did an exorcism later, he could get rid of the bad luck around Lee Han.

“Normal thieves try to hide by being invisible or quiet. But the best thieves know that’s not enough,” the senior explained. “They need to hide their *fate* itself.” He continued, “Powerful divination magic can see through invisibility and find anyone. And if you walk into a place protected by divination magic, you could end up trapped! This spell, , twists your fate for a while. It makes it hard for anyone to find you, especially other divination wizards.” He paused. “There are easier ways to hide, but this spell is for when you’re facing really strong magic.”

“Wow!” Lee Han’s eyes widened. “If I had this, I could sneak into way more places!”

“The thief was just an example!” the senior said quickly, sounding worried. Lee Han’s words made him uneasy.

“I know,” Lee Han grinned. “I was just… imagining things.”

“Right… Okay,” the senior said, still a bit suspicious. “Wait, how did you practice if you didn’t even know what the spell did?”

Lee Han pulled out his violin and sheet music. The golem senior’s eyes widened when he saw the instrument. It was *that* violin, the one with bad magic that the skeleton Headmaster had given him. The senior looked like he’d seen a ghost.

“What is *that* thing?!” he gasped. “Why are you carrying around something so cursed?”

“The Headmaster told me to,” Lee Han said simply.

“Of course,” the senior groaned, understanding instantly. *‘That’s exactly the kind of thing he’d do,’* he thought.

Lee Han frowned. “Cursed? Is it really bad luck?” he asked.

“Don’t worry too much,” the senior said, trying to sound casual. “Bad magic and bad luck are almost the same thing. It can’t hurt you until it… happens. And someone with a strong fate can even control it.” He remembered suddenly that Lee Han had a contract with a Rogue Star. Last time he’d heard that, he’d tried to run! But this kid had grabbed him! *‘No! I promised myself I wouldn’t get caught again! I’d run away faster! But I forgot!’* The senior sighed internally. He’d been too relaxed. Lee Han was so polite, always calling him “Senior,” that he’d let his guard down.

“Senior?” Lee Han asked.

“Huh? Oh, sorry,” the senior blinked. “Just thinking.”

“About what?”

“About why I wanted to avoid you… and then forgot,” he mumbled.

“…” Lee Han looked a little sad. *‘Is he always going to be like this?’* he wondered.

“If you forgot,” Lee Han said quietly, “maybe you didn’t really want to avoid me.”

“Quiet, or I’ll write that on my rock face!” the senior joked, then changed the subject. “So, how are you using that violin?”

“Music magic,” Lee Han said.

“Oh, like Senior Chaegla’s research?” the senior asked, surprised. “I didn’t know you were into that too. I guess wizards have to try all kinds of magic.”

“…I just happened to try it,” Lee Han corrected him, a bit annoyed.

“Well, music magic…” the senior nodded, thinking. He’d heard from Senior Illeg that music magic was powerful, almost like the oldest magic, like language itself. It could work even when other magic failed.

“But you haven’t used it yet?” the senior asked.

“Not for this spell,” Lee Han admitted. “I practiced other songs, but this one is harder. The magic isn’t… flowing.”

“Hmm, music magic isn’t my best thing,” the senior said. “Let’s try it your way first. If it doesn’t work, we’ll do it the normal way. Here,” he said, pulling out a flat board. “Let me show you.” It was a Ouija board, made of dark bone and dried blood. Lee Han knew these boards helped with difficult divination spells. He stayed close to the senior, just in case he tried to run again.

“You need to offer a… wait,” the senior paused, looking at the Ouija board. “Hmm, it doesn’t seem to want this.”

“Senior!” Lee Han jumped back, pointing. “Is that… a *real* demon?!” He stared at the board in shock.

The senior nodded casually. “Yeah, of course. …Wait, why would I offer a sacrifice to a demon I already… caught?” He frowned. “Typical Wodanaz family thinking.”

“No!” Lee Han said quickly. “I’m just… amazed! You sealed a demon *inside* an artifact?”

“Lee Han,” the senior said, raising an eyebrow.

“Yes?”

“I’m still more amazed you controlled the Headmaster’s double without asking. So, maybe you should be quiet about demons.”

“…” Lee Han just glared at the senior silently.

The golem senior started to chant, his rocky fingers moving letters on the Ouija board. Each time he touched a letter, a word formed in the air, glowing faintly. With each word, the demon inside the board seemed to hum, and the air around them shimmered with magic.

“…The fortress of shadows… hides fate… no one can find…” The senior stopped, halfway through the spell. Even as a golem, his voice sounded strained.

“Whew,” he said, “that’s enough for now. Too much effort to finish it. Do you get the idea?”

“Amazing,” Lee Han breathed. “I never imagined magic like this.”

“Divination magic is different, right?” the senior said. “It’s all about mystery and things you can’t see.” He explained, “Some say it’s the closest magic to the first magic, the oldest magic of all.”

Lee Han thought hard about what he’d just seen and heard. *‘So, it’s about twisting fate with strong magic,’* he realized. *‘Making a shield so divination can’t see through it.’*

Suddenly, he remembered the fight between the Headmaster and his double. It had been too powerful for him to understand then, but now he saw it. They weren’t just fighting with spells; they were fighting with fate itself, trying to trap each other.

He lifted his violin. As he started to play the notes on the sheet music, magic began to stir. Fate itself seemed to tremble. The air grew heavy, and the space around them darkened. The hidden worlds that divination magic could usually see, the glimpses of the future, vanished into deep shadow, impossible to reach.

“Senior!” Lee Han exclaimed, excited. “I think it’s working!”

“Uh, no,” the senior stammered, his rocky face paling. “That’s… not the spell I showed you… is it?” He stared, shocked, at the wild magic swirling around Lee Han, far stronger than anything he’d expected.