Surviving As A Mage In A Magic Academy [EN]: Chapter 1121

Suddenly, the young wizard disappeared! The black magic students around him looked confused.

“What was that?” someone whispered.

“Where did Wodanaise go?” another student asked.

“He probably has another class,” said a third. “Maybe… Summoning magic? Or Illusion magic?”

“Could be Enchantment magic,” someone else added. “Or even Transformation magic!”

Dirimpa frowned, watching Ogolth and Diret talk. Their words sounded strange to him. *What were they even talking about?* he wondered.

“Ah, Dirimpa,” Ogolth said, noticing his confused face. “That was a joke. About the young wizard taking classes in lots of different magic types.”

“Oh,” Dirimpa replied slowly. “I see.” *A joke?* he thought. *School jokes have gotten very strange since I was last here.*

He actually felt a little uneasy, not amused. *Was it supposed to be funny, or was it a bit… scary?*

*Flutter! Flutter!*

A paper bird, folded neatly, flew into the room. Dirimpa recognized the dark blue paper at once. It was Professor Mortoom’s special paper, always dyed that strange, deep blue color. *A message from the Professor,* he thought.

“What does he say?” Diret asked, as Ogolth carefully unfolded the bird.

Ogolth read the message and looked up, blinking in surprise. “…He says… he’ll write the report himself.”

Diret frowned. “That’s… odd.”

The younger students seemed to agree. “Is it a trick?” one whispered. “If we say we understand, maybe he’ll get angry and ignore us for a week!”

“That sounds exactly like something he would do,” another student grumbled. “Annoying.”

“Ha! Sorry I vanished for a moment,” the young wizard said, appearing suddenly as if from nowhere. He was back before anyone could even properly turn around. *He really is fast,* Dirimpa thought, *almost like he used magic to speed himself up.*

“Professor Mortoom says he’ll write the report himself,” the young wizard announced.

“Wow, that’s… wonderful,” Lee Han said, clapping his hands slowly, but his face stayed completely serious.

*Professor Mortoom is probably furious right now,* Dirimpa guessed. *He’s probably writing that report and complaining about the Emperor and everything!*

“…Something’s not right,” Diret muttered, looking closely at the young wizard. He couldn’t put his finger on it, but the young wizard seemed to be hiding something. Even Professor Mortoom was acting strangely.

“Let’s go check on the demons, senior,” Ogolth said, his voice sounding very polite. “You’re the best at… uh… getting the most out of them.”

Ogolth’s voice was respectful, but something about his words felt wrong.

*He sounds like he’s being sarcastic,* Dirimpa thought. *Or maybe… just a bit mean.*

“No,” Diret said firmly. “Like I said, I’ll just unlock the demon room. I don’t have to write that report for the Professor, so I have other things to work on.”

Fifth-year students could choose how much work they wanted to do. Diret always chose to be busy.

Now that he didn’t have to write the report about black magic in the East, he wanted to use his time to write warnings for the younger students about the Nightmare Echo Forest.

Lately, there had been more and more strange sightings near the forest. Maybe it was because of the new inspector, or maybe it was because some students had accidentally started fires near the forest because of the inspector. Whatever the reason, the forest was becoming more dangerous.

“What kind of work?” Ogolth asked.

“Oh, I’m planning to write some advice about the strange sightings in the Nightmare Echo Forest,” Diret explained. “Things younger students should know. I’ll put them up on the notice board on the seventh floor.”

Lee Han glanced at Ogolth and Dirimpa, wondering if this was something black magic students should be involved in.

Ogolth and Dirimpa quickly shook their heads, silently mouthing to each other.

*He’s such a soft touch, that senior,* Ogolth mouthed.

*I don’t understand why he does so much,* Dirimpa mouthed back.

“You two,” Diret said, turning around. “I can see you mouthing, you know.” Fifth-year students were good at noticing things, even whispers and silent words.

“Right, right. I understand,” the young wizard said quickly. “I’ll be back in a flash!”

And with another burst of speed, he was gone again, like an arrow shot from a bow.

A few minutes later, another paper bird arrived, this one made of pale yellow paper. *Yukbeltire,* Dirimpa realized, recognizing the paper color. It was a letter, and it looked angry.

The letter complained loudly about the Imperial Inspector. Yukbeltire thought the Inspector was bossy and unfair, making him waste time with “useless younger students.”

*This is all very strange,* Dirimpa thought again. *Very strange indeed!*

Orlahr the demon hummed a little tune as he swept dust in the basement. He pushed the broom back and forth, making neat lines on the dusty floor.

Other demons, wild and untamed, who had never made deals with humans, would be horrified to see this. They would probably roar with anger!

*A demon, doing chores?* they would think. *Especially a demon who used to carry the Duke’s banner in battles! Unthinkable!*

Most demons would rather be destroyed than do housework.

But Orlahr was different.

*Heh heh,* Orlahr thought to himself. *I’m smarter than those silly demons.*

Working for the Mo family had taught Orlahr a lot. He had learned to see things differently.

One of his rules was: *It’s always better to do what you’re told right away, than to get punished and then have to do it anyway.*

Because of this smart idea, even the powerful Duke Mo and Arsil had praised Orlahr many times.

“Hmm,” Orlahr said to himself, looking around the basement. He had finished sweeping, but the room still felt… wrong.

It was nothing like the Mo family’s mansion. There, even the basements were grand and full of interesting, powerful objects. Here, it just felt… dusty and empty.

*It’s not just messy,* Orlahr thought. *It feels… poor.*

*Maybe black magicians really are poor,* a little voice whispered in his mind. *Remember how the Mo family always looked down on them.* Orlahr shook his head, trying to push the thought away. *No, no. This place belongs to a wizard from the Wodanaise family! It can’t be that bad.*

He had to stop thinking like that. He was stuck here now. He needed to find the good things about this place.

“Psst! Hey!”

Suddenly, a tiny, squeaky voice came from the shadows under a shelf. Orlahr stopped sweeping and looked down, holding his broom like a weapon.

“…What was that?” he muttered. “A mouse? Or… a hamster?”

– “Do I *look* like a hamster to you, demon?” the squeaky voice said, sounding annoyed. “You must be a very stupid demon.”

“Well, you’re small and furry,” Orlahr replied, looking down at the shadows. “And you’re squeaking. So, yes, you look like a hamster. And that insult was pretty weak, even for a hamster. Where did you learn such silly insults?”

Another demon might have roared with rage at being called “stupid.” But Orlahr just smirked and made fun of the hamster.

He wasn’t the type to lose his temper over small insults. Working for the Mo family had taught him patience.

*Hmm, this demon is interesting,* the hamster thought, impressed despite himself. This was Antagondalus, a magical criminal trapped in a hamster’s body.

A clever wizard could tell a lot about a demon just from a few words. If the demon had gotten angry and started yelling at being called “stupid,” he would have been weak and easy to trick.

But this demon was calm and relaxed. That meant he was probably strong and clever.

– “Okay, okay,” the hamster squeaked. “Maybe ‘foolish’ was a bit much. But you’re not exactly in a great position either, are you? A demon stuck in a basement? You must be trapped here by some kind of magic contract.”

Orlahr shrugged. “That’s no secret,” he said. It was obvious, really. Why else would a demon be hanging around a magic school?

“So,” the hamster continued, “we could help each other. We could work together to escape.”

“Oh?” Orlahr raised an eyebrow, pretending to be surprised.

Inside his tiny hamster heart, Antagondalus felt a thrill of excitement. *This is going well,* he thought. *Smart demons are so much easier to deal with.*

A stupid, proud demon would have wasted time arguing, “Why should I work with a weakling like you?” But a clever demon would get straight to the point.

Of course, Antagondalus knew this “cooperation” wouldn’t last. As soon as they escaped, the demon would probably try to trick him.

But Antagondalus was planning to trick the demon too. He would escape, and then find a way to steal back the power he had lost.

“Okay, if we work together,” Orlahr said, “what do you need from me? Don’t expect too much. I’m just a demon doing chores, remember?”

– “Not much,” the hamster squeaked. “Just a few special ingredients, and a little bit of magic. I need to break this curse.”

He said “a little,” but Orlahr guessed it would be a lot. Neither of them said anything. They both knew how these things worked.

“A curse, huh?” Orlahr said thoughtfully. “Sounds like a strong one.”

– “Yes!” the hamster hissed, losing his temper for a moment. “That’s why I’m stuck here!”

If he could go back in time, Antagondalus would never have gone to Einrogard. He had been too greedy for the power of ancient magic.

He had been foolish. He thought he could just destroy his body and escape as a spirit if things went wrong. He never imagined he would be trapped like this.

It was a hard lesson to learn, and the price was terrible.

Now he was a hamster, stuck in a basement, surrounded by silly students.

Even the young wizard boy who had gotten him from that strange, crazy wizard… the boy had just left him here! He hadn’t even tried to use his wisdom or keep him as a pet.

Sometimes, Antagondalus wondered if the wizard boy had even remembered he existed.

*Could it be…?*

– “If I get rid of this curse,” the hamster promised, “I’ll find the magic contract that’s trapping you, and I’ll destroy it myself. I swear it!”

The hamster said this with a sly look in his tiny eyes. He was already planning to break his promise as soon as he was free. His body would suffer for breaking the oath, but he didn’t care.

“That sounds very good,” Orlahr said, nodding slowly, pretending to believe him.

“Tell me more,” Orlahr continued. “What’s your plan? How far have you gotten?”

– “Look!”

The hamster used seeds and tiny pieces of carrot to show Orlahr a map.

Even though he was trapped in the basement, he had made a map of the whole magic tower, just by listening to sounds and feeling magic in the air. It was amazing!

– “The study, about two floors up,” the hamster squeaked, pointing with a tiny carrot piece. “And the secret room next to it. We need to get in there first. I think there’s black spirit gold hidden there.”

“Black spirit gold?” Orlahr repeated, his eyes widening slightly. “Interesting.”

– “And then, we need mermaid tears,” the hamster continued. “But wait! Someone’s coming!”

Hearing footsteps, the hamster froze. They both quickly went back to their places.

*Clang!*

The basement door opened with a loud noise, and light flooded into the dark room. The hamster scurried back under the shelf.

*We’ll make plans later,* he thought.

“Young Master!” Orlahr shouted as soon as the door opened. “That hamster is planning to escape! He’s a very bad hamster!”

– !!

The hamster’s tiny heart thumped like a drum.

Antagondalus thought he knew demons well. But even this clever criminal had his limits.

The trickery of a demon who had worked for the Mo family for so long was beyond anything he could imagine.

The Mo family rule was: *Encourage your enemy to make plans, while you are already planning to betray them.* Orlahr had followed that rule perfectly.

Lee Han looked down at the hamster in its cage, his face unreadable.

The hamster stared back, silent and furious.

Orlahr leaned closer to Lee Han and whispered, “I was amazed at how sneaky that hamster is.”

– “But… but you promised to help me escape!” the hamster squeaked, finally losing his temper. “And then you just… betrayed me!”

“I don’t remember making any promises,” Orlahr said innocently.

“You little hamster!” Orlahr suddenly roared, pretending to be furious. “How dare you shout like that in front of the Young Master! Show some respect!”

*How dare he be rude to someone from the Wodanaise family!* Orlahr thought dramatically. *If Arsil was here, he would have turned that hamster into dust!*

“Um, Orlahr,” Lee Han said quietly.

“Yes, Young Master!” Orlahr replied instantly.

“I think you’re being a little… dramatic,” Lee Han said, his voice calm.

“Dramatic?” Orlahr blinked, confused.

*What did he mean?*

“Yes,” Lee Han said. “Just… all of it. It’s a bit much. And remember, it’s a secret that we know each other from the vacation. We just met today, okay?”

“What about the Wodanaise family connection?” Orlahr asked, worried. “Is that a secret too?”

“Let’s keep that quiet as well,” Lee Han said, sounding slightly embarrassed. “It’s… complicated. Anyway, just stop shouting at the hamster.”

Lee Han knew that if Orlahr started bragging about the Wodanaise family in front of the older black magic students, he would never hear the end of it. He would be teased for weeks in the Black Rock Hall. He had to stop Orlahr before that happened.

While Lee Han and Orlahr were talking about these strange things, the hamster suddenly squeaked loudly again.

– “Answer me!”

“Oh, sorry,” Lee Han said, turning to the hamster. “Were you saying something? I was a bit busy. But don’t worry, I left you plenty of hamster food.”

*His mocking is truly impressive,* Orlahr thought, watching Lee Han.

For a former jester like Orlahr, the subtle, understated mockery of the young master of the Wodanaise family was a masterpiece.