Surviving As A Mage In A Magic Academy [EN]: Chapter 1140

Ethan was talking to the knights. He did not know that some priests had seen them from far away and gone back.

“We should start by gathering information,” Ethan said.

“Heir, we don’t have time to just gather information!” one of the knights exclaimed. “If the supervisor is hiding the truth about the wizard, things could become very dangerous very quickly!”

“Well, I don’t think it’s quite that bad,” Ethan replied.

“That’s right. Lord Wodanaz is also friendly with the officials,” Siana added, with the support of the other priests.

Considering Ethan’s achievements during past vacations, it wasn’t surprising that the officials would side with him. Why else would Headmaster Skull have brought Ethan in to negotiate on his behalf?

“Tsk, tsk, tsk,” the knights clicked their tongues and shook their heads. They were old and had lived long lives. They had their own ways of thinking. It was hard for them to accept new ideas.

“That’s because you don’t know officials well,” one of the knights said. “Listen closely. Officials in the Empire can be very bad. They might try to trick wizards and cause them trouble. Demons and monsters are sometimes easier to deal with because you know they are bad.”

“Especially if you’re a wizard from Einrogard, you must be even more careful of the officials, Heir,” another knight warned. “Even if the officials treat you kindly, you must never trust them…”

Ethan listened to the knights, but he didn’t agree. He thought it was important to be polite. “I’ll go say hello,” Ethan said. “Please handle the questions for me.” He then walked towards the office with his friends.

“No! That official might be setting a wicked trap…!” a knight called out, but Ethan continued on.

Of course, there was no such trap. When Ethan went to see the supervisor, he only received a light warning.

“It’s good to be careful in the future,” the supervisor said. “Bad people do bad things without thinking. But when someone does something wrong to *them*, they complain a lot and talk about the law.”

“Ah, yes. I will be careful,” Ethan replied.

“Good. The examiners are very worried about you. Are you having any problems living in Einrogard these days? Is Lord Gonadaltes making unreasonable demands, perhaps…” The supervisor was very interested in other accusations.

He didn’t care if a boy from the Wodanaz family beat up a few criminals, but he cared if Headmaster Skull beat up a boy from the Wodanaz family. Even other officials in the Imperial Capital felt the same way.

Siana really wanted to speak. She opened her mouth as if to say something, then closed it again. She wished she could tell the supervisor how Headmaster Skull had been unfair to Ethan. She looked at Ethan with worry.

“What’s wrong?” Ethan asked.

“Haha. It’s nothing. I’m fine,” Siana replied.

Now that he was already borrowing knights and acting as he pleased, Ethan couldn’t help but be mindful of Headmaster Skull. If he were to confront him directly, it had to be later, when he had nothing to lose.

Ethan gestured for Siana to calm down.

“Anyway, thank you again. For not being swayed by the lies and making the right decision…” Ethan said.

“It’s only natural, so there’s no need to thank me. The treasurers are also very worried about you. Are you really not having any problems in Einrogard?” the supervisor asked.

‘…Aren’t there too many officials worrying about me?’ Siana thought to herself. At first, she thought only a few officials were concerned, and her friends could all understand that. But as they talked, it seemed like there were more than just one or two.

“Yes. I’m really fine,” Ethan confirmed.

“Everyone here is worried about you, Ethan. Even important people,” the supervisor said.

“Really?” Ethan asked.

“Yes, even His Excellency the Bishop came by earlier to ask about you,” the supervisor replied.

Ethan’s face, as well as the priests’, slightly stiffened. Had they been found out? Beating up criminals with a friend at night was not something a priest of the clergy should be doing.

Einrogard students had a strong sense of right and wrong. This ‘Einrogard spirit’ meant they believed in doing what was right, even if it went against the Empire’s rules or the church’s rules, but whether the Bishop would understand that…

“He told me not to be fooled by the lies,” the supervisor added.

“Whew!” The priests breathed a sigh of relief. Nigisor said with a proud expression, “It seems that it was worth preparing the lies thoroughly.”

‘Is it okay to feel rewarded in this area…?’ Siana wondered.

“I am simply moved by His Excellency’s consideration,” Krooh said.

“The people here should be thanking you. Don’t forget to greet His Excellency the Bishop. Not that someone like you would forget,” the supervisor said.

“Yes!” Ethan replied.

Ethan and his party safely left the supervisor’s office. As Wodanaz consulted with Tizling about what gift to buy for the Bishop, Siana suddenly became curious and asked.

“But Lord Wodanaz, does that mean you won’t be hunting down criminals tonight?”

There were many who came to confess in front of the mansion, and there were eyes watching, so perhaps not today…

“No? I am going to,” Ethan asked back as if he was saying something obvious. A worshiper of an evil god might be aiming for this situation where criminals are rushing to confess, and be holding out on their own.

“Well, I don’t think so. I don’t think the other criminals would leave someone like that to hold out on their own…” Siana said.

Never overlook even the slightest possibility. That was the lesson Ethan had learned while dealing with the evil god worshippers.

In fact, Ethan kept his word. Until he finished his request and returned, Ethan roamed the city every day, stirring up and shaking up suspicious places.

This was a greater disaster for the criminals of Bepaim City than a plague. So many of them, more than dozens, abandoned their hard-earned foundations and fled to other areas. And it left deep mental scars on the remaining criminals of Bepaim City.

Even after Ethan and his party left, the criminals were still very scared. They talked about what happened as ‘The Night of Death.’ They would never forget the wizard who brought fear to their city.

The tavern owner who was attacked first even put up a new sign on the wall:

No Evil God Worshippers

No Wizards

Tejareku, one of the few remaining executives and a devoted follower of the Sanguiros Order, frowned as he read the incoming reports. The Sanguiros Order was a group of vampire followers of the Regent god.

The western part of the Empire was in chaos because of a sudden natural disaster.

This chaos was the perfect opportunity for the Evil God Worshippers, followers of a dark and cruel god, to increase their power. They were trying to expand their influence.

“How can they fail so many times in a row? You useless failures!” Tejareku exclaimed.

Tejareku believed that the god he served was the fairest and most righteous of all the gods.

Unlike other gods who didn’t answer prayers, this Regent always rewarded his followers for their sacrifices.

Some of these sacrifices involved bloodshed, but that wasn’t a problem for Tejareku, a vampire from a noble western family.

He had plenty of underlings to sacrifice in his place.

Tejareku closed his eyes, remembering the past. The time when the Regent’s power was at its peak was a fulfilling time. He remembered the grand parties, the immense power, and the exciting atmosphere.

When the god received sacrifices, he gave his followers power like sweet rain. Then, followers came to him like clouds.

The Order’s members were also of high quality.

Nobles from prestigious western vampire families, like the Juzen and Tejareku families, led the Order’s strategies. He enjoyed spending time with people who were as important as him.

But now…

Many important members of the Order had died, and key areas had been destroyed. It was taking a long time to rebuild the organization.

Even though it had recovered a little, the members were not as good as they used to be.

In the past, they would never have failed so many times.

Wasn’t the task of infiltrating several cities in the western region and creating hideouts supposed to be easy?

“The mercenaries are hostile to suspicious outsiders. Not only the mercenaries, but also the thieves, smugglers, and fences…” a report stated.

Criminals in the Empire often helped the Evil God Worshippers.

They believed that the enemy of their enemy was their friend, and they clearly knew what each other wanted.

The criminals wanted money, and the Evil God Worshippers wanted people. They could trade these things easily.

Even if they didn’t trade, these criminals wouldn’t report the Evil God Worshippers to the Empire. Why make an enemy when they might need to cooperate later?

But now, these criminals were chasing away any outsider who seemed even slightly suspicious. What had changed?

This was a big problem for the Evil God Worshippers who were trying to infiltrate the area.

“Is there still no contact from Juzen?” Tejareku asked.

“No,” came the reply.

“Even if they are fighting the Fire Giants, it’s taking too long. I understand. Gather the remaining members and send them to Bepaim City. It has suffered severe disasters, so it will be easier to take over.”

Tejareku decided to focus on secretly taking over Bepaim City as their base.

However, Tejareku didn’t know that Bepaim City had already recovered a lot from the disasters because the Order’s information network was weak.

He also didn’t know that many criminals in Bepaim City hated the Evil God Worshippers and wanted revenge!

The Skull Headmaster criticized Inspector Uman for ‘unpleasantly smirking,’ but the students liked Uman’s new energy.

The rules were still strict, but they had improved, and the dragon’s habit of solving problems himself was admirable. The Skull Headmaster had never changed his behavior before, so they were even more surprised.

No one complained as long as he only bothered with problems within the school and not the students.

But Jo Ulin disagreed.

‘I think the old, depressed Uman was better,’ Jo Ulin thought.

“Sister, please break and grind the trees in the forest! I will neutralize the poison!” Uman shouted from above in his dragon form.

Jo Ulin muttered again, “Jo Ulin thinks it would be better to just leave the forest alone…”

Uman’s energy had a side effect: he was forcing Jo Ulin to work on the school improvement project.

Of course, Uman didn’t order him to do it. He would never disrespect his sister, who was like the sky to him.

Instead, Uman brought work with a pure heart, assuming that the noble Jo Ulin would gladly accept it.

Because Uman was his superior, Jo Ulin couldn’t escape. He wished he had gone with Lee Han, even if he had to force himself.

“Gona Daltesta seemed to say that appropriate poison helps students develop coping skills…” Jo Ulin mumbled.

“Huh? What did you say?” Uman asked.

“…It’s nothing…” Jo Ulin replied.

Jo Ulin, now sullen, prepared to transform into a gold dragon.

Just then, he heard carriages rushing in from the main gate of Einrogard’s castle walls. He noticed it with his excellent hearing.

“Ah! The contractor has come! I’m on my way!” Jo Ulin exclaimed.

“Sister! It’s not good to interfere with the contractor’s work…” Uman called out.

Jo Ulin flew away, pretending not to hear.

Uman admired the sight, not realizing Jo Ulin’s true feelings. He thought his sister’s abilities had improved even more.

Whoosh!

The priests were startled when a huge golden light fell from the sky.

But Lee Han greeted him calmly. “Hello, Your Highness.”

‘Huh? I think the speed has gotten faster?’ Jo Ulin thought.

The knights flinched at the sight of the golden meteor.

It was clear that Jo Ulin was much faster than before. The knights worried that they would have to subdue him if he ran wild, so this gold dragon’s growth made them nervous.

“Lee Han! I want to hear what happened outside!” Jo Ulin said.

“Haha. Nothing much happened,” Lee Han replied with a contractor-like honest smile.

Jo Ulin tilted his head, looking at the prisoners trudging out of the last carriage. “Who are those people?”

“They are criminals I happened to pick up on the way,” Lee Han said.

“……”

Jo Ulin gave the contractor a suspicious look.