Surviving As A Mage In A Magic Academy [EN]: Chapter 114

Carefully, the group opened the door hidden behind the main entrance on the first floor. They slipped inside.

Suddenly, a space opened up beside the hallway, a place students were not allowed to go.

The Black Tortoise Tower students stopped and stared. They were amazed by the sight of a huge, empty hall. It looked like a banquet hall.

They looked around, probably thinking, ‘Why do we have to eat hard bread in the common room when a place like this exists?’

Lee Han and Raetford exchanged glances.

-Never let your guard down.

-Of course.

Raetford remembered the thief’s rule: ‘If you go back to a place you’ve robbed before, be even more careful.’

Lee Han thought about the Skeleton Headmaster.

‘After we got through the underground passage last time,’ he thought, ‘the Headmaster must have made the defenses stronger.’

They knew they couldn’t be as lucky as before, sneaking into the underground without anyone seeing them.

Clang!

Sure enough.

Clang! Clang! The sound of metal echoed down the hallway. They saw it then – a suit of armor, walking towards them.

-But still,

the warehouse keeper argued, “it’s ridiculous to think I mistook him for a freshman!”

When Lee Han and Raetford escaped through the underground passage, the Headmaster called the warehouse keeper and told him off.

But the warehouse keeper didn’t back down.

-But even so,

the warehouse keeper continued, “I couldn’t tell the difference in magic power.”

-Foolish man…

the Skeleton Headmaster sighed. “Fine, I understand. I know I can’t change things just by talking.”

The Skeleton Headmaster didn’t say anything more about the warehouse keeper’s attitude.

The warehouse keeper was very good at his job. The Headmaster knew he couldn’t really punish him just for missing Wodanaz this once.

He managed the supplies, repaired equipment, and patrolled at night, catching students who were out of bed. So, the Headmaster couldn’t be too angry about this one mistake.

And frankly, even the Skeleton Headmaster thought this mistake was unavoidable.

Who could have guessed that someone special, like a boy from the Wodanaz family, would appear? The warehouse keeper usually used magic power to find intruders.

-I will lend you one of my summoned creatures,

the Headmaster said. “But don’t just use magic power to find intruders. Try other ways too.”

-Yes. I will do my best.

-If you find the boy from the Wodanaz family, don’t let him get away. Make sure to send him to the punishment room.

-Why should I do that?

-Can’t you just do it if I tell you to?

After the conversation, the warehouse keeper increased security between the main building and the underground.

Students were like mice or ants. Once they found a way through, they would keep using it.

So, it was even more important to teach the students a lesson.

‘Don’t even think about coming this way again!’ he thought.

The Headmaster’s summoned creatures would definitely catch any student who dared to enter.

Later that day, the warehouse keeper started his patrol, walking along his usual route.

“Walking armor!”

The Black Tortoise Tower students whispered in fear.

“Does he know us?”

“I’ve met him before.”

The Black Tortoise Tower students looked disgusted.

How many students had been caught by that walking armor?

Because there was no one inside the armor, it was hard to stop. Even if they hit it hard, it would just put itself back together. Even if they tied its legs, it would call for help.

Lee Han was lost in thought.

‘Is there a way to catch it?’

From what he heard, it was a summoned creature like Jorban II, the master of the sandy beach.

It was a summoned creature, but not alive, like an object brought to life.

But just because it wasn’t alive didn’t mean it was invincible.

If it got too damaged, the summoned creature would break and disappear, sent back to where it came from.

The problem was…

‘Lightning magic would be the best way to destroy it,’ Lee Han thought, ‘but using it now would be too much…’

It wasn’t about winning or losing; the students would suffer if they fought.

Also, lightning magic was loud and bright. Using it would be like shouting, ‘We are here!’

‘It’s better to avoid it.’

“It doesn’t seem to have found us yet; it’s better to avoid it. Did it follow us well?”

“I’m not sure. It depends on the time of day…”

Lee Han turned to retreat with the group.

Clang!

However, another suit of plate armor had already appeared far behind them.

The Black Tortoise Tower students’ faces turned pale.

“I’ll lure them…”

“To the side!”

Lee Han quickly opened a door. He had noticed it earlier, thinking it might be useful if they needed to escape.

They found themselves in an old classroom. It looked like it hadn’t been used in years. Broken chairs and desks were scattered around, and piles of junk were everywhere.

The Black Tortoise Tower students automatically started looking through the junk for anything valuable. It was just something they did, a habit from their training.

“Everyone, if the armor comes into this…”

“I know. Wodanaz. You mean scatter and run away? Even if someone gets caught?”

When things got too dangerous, the rule was to scatter and run. This was to make sure only a few people, not everyone, got caught. The Black Tortoise Tower students knew this rule well.

“No. I’m going to cast a spell and knock them down, so don’t be surprised and just run away. It’ll probably be incredibly noisy.”

“……”

Lee Han spoke confidently about defeating the armor. The Black Tortoise Tower students thought,

‘We brought the right person!’ Not many people would say they could knock down a suit of armor like that. They were sure they had made a good choice by bringing him.

Rattle!

” ? ”

A rattling sound came from the junk behind them. The students, who were extremely tense, turned their heads in confusion.

“Did you touch it?”

“No… Did you?”

Suddenly, a piece of paper and a quill floated into the air. The quill began to write:

-Can’t you be quiet, freshmen?

“A… A ghost!”

-Not a ghost,

the quill wrote. “A senior student. You stupid freshmen.”

The students stopped shaking when they saw the words on the paper. But they were still nervous.

“If you’re a senior, why… are you doing that?”

“That’s right. Show us your face.”

-Don’t be crazy! I don’t want to get sent to the punishment room. This is dangerous enough already!

“…?”

Lee Han was confused for a moment. Then he understood.

‘Ah, the Headmaster punishes senior students if they talk to freshmen.’ That sounded like something the Skeleton Headmaster would do. Otherwise, many students would probably try to get help from older students.

-Anyway, be quiet and write to talk. Unless you want that armor to find us. And stop talking nonsense about a freshman defeating it with magic!

Lee Han felt a little bad after what the senior wrote. Was it really so impossible?

“I thought I could use lightning elemental magic… I’m sorry.”

-…You can use lightning magic?

The quill seemed to write faster, and the handwriting became shaky. The senior sounded surprised.

-But still, don’t use it. It will be too loud. I’ll get caught too.

Lee Han and the Black Tortoise Tower students understood this was a great chance. When else would they get to talk to a senior student who knew the school better than them?

“Senior. How can we get rid of that armor?”

“Senior. Which way is the best way to get to the kitchen from here…”

“Senior. What’s on the >Basic Imperial Geometry and Arithmetic< exam?" The senior seemed overwhelmed by all the questions. -Am I here to answer your questions? the quill wrote angrily. "Just be quiet! You don't even know what kind of armor that is..." Lee Han stopped his friends. It would be a waste to miss out on what the senior could tell them by making him angry. "Everyone, calm down and listen to what the senior has to say. Senior, what kind of armor is that?" The walking armor was a summoned creature often used by the Skeleton Headmaster. Because it wasn't alive, it could patrol the school all day and night. It could even sense heat, which made it famous for catching students who were in the wrong place! But the tougher the school was, the better the students became at dealing with it. They had learned a few tricks of their own. -You can distract them with fire magic, the quill wrote, "or trick them with illusions that give off heat. Or you can cover yourselves so they can't sense your body heat. I've put an illusion on this classroom already. Even if they look in, they won't see us. But if you make too much noise, it won't work, so be quiet!" 'Ah, that's why something felt strange,' Lee Han realized. He had felt something was off when they first came into the room. He looked around, but everything seemed normal. He thought he was imagining it. But it was the illusion! It was hiding them by controlling how much heat the armor could sense. 'You can use illusions like that too,' Lee Han thought. He felt like he had learned something useful. He knew he would be sneaking around the school again, so this trick could be helpful. "I didn't notice at all." "Me neither." -If you guys could notice it, would it even be illusion magic? The quill wrote quickly, leaving words on the paper. The handwriting seemed to show that the senior was proud of himself. "So what were you doing here, senior?" -...... "???" -...I was going to the kitchen. "That's great! We were going to the kitchen too." "But why were you trying to go to the kitchen, senior?" The senior was silent again. Lee Han asked. "Isn't it because you're hungry?" "Come on. Wodanaz. Surely not." "That's right. You're a senior, not a freshman..." -...That's right, the quill quickly added, "there's a special ingredient hidden in the kitchen, and I need it for a potion!" The other students were impressed and said, 'Of course, as expected of a senior!' But Lee Han looked at the paper with doubt. 'I don't believe him,' he thought. -The armor is gone now. Let's go, the quill wrote. "Is there any way I can learn the illusion magic that fooled the armor?" Lee Han asked. Lee Han knew he might learn illusion magic in class someday. But he needed it now. He couldn't say to the walking armor, 'Please wait while I learn this spell!' The senior scoffed and wrote an explanation. -Pahite's Lesser Illusion. This is the magic that fooled the armor. The spell is 'Heat, distort the air.' It creates illusions that give off heat. Instead of changing how the whole classroom looked, the senior had just created a layer of heat, like a curtain. This was enough to hide them from the armor. Creating full illusions uses a lot of magic power, so there was no need to waste it. 'A freshman can't do this magic,' the senior thought. That's why he had told Lee Han so easily. He was sure it was impossible for a beginner. Freshmen didn't know how to control magic power well enough, and they didn't have much magic power anyway. It was easier to explain it and make them give up than to just say no. -Freshmen, hurry to the kitchen… "Heat, distort the air!" Lee Han said the spell, and suddenly, an illusion surrounded him and his friends. To the senior watching from outside, it looked like they had vanished. It was the first time Lee Han had used this spell. He wasn't sure if it had worked. 'Did it work?' he whispered. -...The illusion looks a bit... ugly, the quill wrote. "Or rather, the colors are weak..." The senior suddenly realized what he was doing – criticizing a freshman's magic! He blushed with embarrassment. 'How rude of me!' he thought.