Surviving As A Mage In A Magic Academy [EN]: Chapter 1146

Lee Han frowned at the blank design on the table. “Senior Anpagon didn’t do this last year, did he?” he muttered, mostly to himself.

Yukbeltyre walked over, peering at the design. “Anpagon? No. Why?”

“Well,” Lee Han sighed, “there must have been some reason he didn’t finish it.”

“What reason could be bigger than this?” Yukbeltyre asked, raising an eyebrow. “This is a huge opportunity.”

Lee Han shrugged, a hint of a smile playing on his lips. “Maybe his arm fell off. Or his leg. Or his head. But that’s not really the point right now.” He saw Yukbeltyre’s surprised look and quickly became serious again. “Senior,” he said, his voice earnest, “I want to achieve the dream you couldn’t. Please, help me.”

To complete the design of the magical structure properly, Lee Han needed the help of either Professor Verdus or Yukbeltyre.

No matter how skilled Lee Han was, designing it alone from start to finish was too risky.

Besides, Yukbeltyre had attempted such a commission before, making him even more suitable to ask for help.

Of course, Yukbeltyre wasn’t fooled by Lee Han’s words.

“If it’s a dream I couldn’t achieve, I should be the one to pursue it. I don’t see how that matters to you, a junior from the Wodanaz family.”

Lee Han clicked his tongue inwardly.

He thought, ‘Any other senior from a different school would have gone along with the mood! No wonder no other seniors gathered around him. He had no charisma whatsoever.’

“If you help me, I’ll engrave your name on it, and I’ll prioritize the commission you mentioned last time.”

“I will help.”

Yukbeltyre accepted immediately.

He often felt that this junior from the Wodanaz family was exceptionally bright in a unique way.

It wasn’t just about magical ability. While his magical abilities were outstanding, he also knew how to convince Yukbeltyre himself in these matters.

Other juniors would have asked emotionally a few times, then become quiet and given up.

“By the way, Senior, what kind of structure were you planning to build in the Einrogaard territory last year?”

“A structure that shows the power of the Pentagrammaton microcosm magic.”

The Dark Magic School’s microcosm, Pentagrammaton.

It might sound strange to embody such magic in a structure, but that was the specialty of wizards from the Enchantment Magic School.

Professor Verdus himself carried microcosms in his clothes and accessories, didn’t he?

Yukbeltyre couldn’t miniaturize it to that extent, but he could certainly embody it on the scale of a structure. And that alone was a very impressive level of magic.

“Oh… wait, isn’t Pentagrammaton dark magic? Why were you…?”

“It was necessary for Dirette’s graduation preparation.”

“Ah. Yes.”

Lee Han scoffed inwardly.

He thought, ‘Last year, Yukbeltyre himself was a fourth-year student and had to prepare for graduation, yet he was trying to build a structure to help Dirette? Gainan Do was more likely to build a structure to help Lee Han during his graduation year. What nonsense…’

Meanwhile, far beneath the school grounds, in the cool darkness of the Einrogaard underground, another senior was waking up to a very different kind of day.

Zarun of the Steel Shoe family, a fourth-year student at Einrogaard, opened his eyes.

The cool, damp darkness of the underground, where sunlight never penetrated, greeted this socially awkward dwarf.

Flick!

As the match was struck, it burst into flame. Zarun carefully brought the fire to the lanterns hanging on the ceiling and walls.

It was quite an unusual action for a wizard. He could bring light or fire with a wave of his wand, yet he did this.

However, any wizard who had spent a long time in the Einrogaard underground would know why Zarun did this.

There were monsters in this underground that sensitively detected magic or magical power. There was no need to stimulate them by using magic unnecessarily.

Bubble bubble-

As light filled the small space in the rock, Zarun brewed tea.

The tea leaves, which looked very old and used, no longer yielded any flavor, but Zarun didn’t care and sipped as he unfolded the map.

‘Hmm. It seems there’s a gold vein around here.’

This map, which contained the areas he had confirmed and those he had not, newly dug tunnels and closed tunnels, traps he had set up to prevent other students from approaching, and traps that other students had set up first, was a treasure that Zarun had made himself.

As a fourth-year student, it was about time to start worrying about graduation.

Especially in Zarun’s case, his ongoing research, “Gold, come out, presto!”—or, according to the name given by a junior, —wasn’t going very well, making it even more so.

This magic, which created a magic circle where the connected dimensions transformed and flickered countless times in a short moment, and then secured the gold when it was observed, was truly difficult.

Nevertheless, Zarun’s mind was as calm as a lake. The reason was simple.

‘I just won’t graduate.’

It was because he had finished making up his mind.

Many Einrogaard students didn’t realize it, but the choices available to a fourth-year student weren’t just graduation and the punishment room.

Surprisingly, there was also the option of disappearing in between.

Zarun made a clean decision.

If he failed to graduate, instead of pleasing the Headmaster, he would settle in the underground and continue doing what he wanted to do.

Zarun was following the path chosen by a few wise Einrogaard seniors. Zarun wasn’t afraid at all.

Thud!

A sound came from the place that served as the door to the alcove, roughly covered with carved rock. It seemed a paper bird had flown in.

Zarun walked out with a bothered expression.

These paper birds, sent periodically by professors or juniors, were quite annoying.

He was still in contact with the surface because he needed supplies, but once the necessary supplies were fully prepared, Zarun planned to hide his location as well.

Until he had mined all the gold in the underground, forever….

To the senior living in the underground,

Senior, the surface is currently under the tyranny of a mad royal. Reply if you plan to set Einrogaard on fire.

The owner of Cerberus

Whoosh-

Zarun casually threw the paper bird into the fire. Thanks to the special oil used, the fire neatly swallowed the paper bird’s magic.

The other paper birds didn’t contain much useful information either.

A letter asking him to assist with the bird class, a letter saying that the price of goods on the surface had risen due to the new inspector, so he had to produce more ore, a letter asking how his graduation preparations were going…

‘Only trashy letters.’

Annoyed, Zarun was about to throw the remaining paper birds into the fire without even opening them.

At that moment, the flames soared wildly. Zarun was horrified and put out the fire.

“What, what!?”

At first, he thought some madman had played a trick on the paper bird.

Making the fire surge when thrown into the fire wasn’t very difficult. Simple magic or reagents were enough.

But when he thought about it, he wondered why he hadn’t noticed it.

‘There definitely wasn’t such a paper bird?’

Zarun, having extinguished the fire, checked the paper birds one by one. He quickly understood the reason. Only one paper bird was overflowing with magic.

Muttering about what kind of madman it was, Zarun opened the paper bird and was shocked to realize the identity of the culprit.

To Senior Zarun of the Steel Shoe family,

Hello, Senior. This is Lee Han from the Wodanaz family, whom you met when we found the orichalcum. Come to think of it, I suddenly remembered helping you when you were trapped inside the crystal vein.

Ah! Please don’t misunderstand. I’m not trying to take credit. It just suddenly came to mind.

Actually, I’ve been commissioned to build a lighthouse within the Einrogaard grounds, and it would be a great help if you, a member of the Stonemason Club, could assist me.

In fact, now that I think about it, getting you out of the crystal vein was quite difficult. The fact that other Enchantment Magic School seniors didn’t step forward was certainly due to the difficulty.

Ah! Please don’t misunderstand. I’m not trying to take credit, but…

“……”

Zarun was dumbfounded.

“What kind of guy is this?”

‘It should have ended with giving him the orichalcum map!’

Certainly, this junior had rescued Zarun, who was sealed inside the vein.

Considering that other school students had just passed by, it was definitely a great feat. That’s why Zarun had been slightly swayed and handed over the location of the orichalcum he had investigated, wasn’t it?

That should have been the end of it!

Looking at this letter, he regretted giving it last time. His heart was already aching whenever he thought about the orichalcum…

As Zarun was grumbling and about to burn the paper bird, another paper bird flew in.

To Senior Zarun of the Steel Shoe family,

Hello, Senior. You must be very busy since there’s no reply. Come to think of it, I also remembered helping you when you were trapped inside the crystal vein amidst my busy schedule…

“……”

Zarun suddenly felt a chill down his spine.

Could it be that this junior was going to keep sending paper birds until he accepted??

Catton of the Jahan family, a proud fifth-year senior of the White Tiger Tower, had been feeling a slight flutter in his heart recently.

The rumors he had been hearing lately were stirring his heart.

-I heard a junior from the Wodanaz family is working on a commission? An architectural commission? Inside Einrogaard.

-Really? Not Senior Yukbeltyre?

-No, I checked several times.

-Are they just using his name as a cover since they’re in the same tower?

-I checked that too. No.

-Phew. That’s a relief. I thought it was a commission being carried out by Senior Yukbeltyre.

-I heard he even brought Zarun along, using some method.

-The Steel Shoe!? That’s really impressive.

A commission being carried out by a bright and outstanding junior whom Catton was also acquainted with.

And the fact that quite a few wizards were needed for the commission.

There was only one conclusion that could be drawn from these things.

Soon, Catton would also receive a proposal to help!

‘I’m looking forward to it.’

Catton stood on the edge of the windswept cliff, the air whipping at his robes. Below, the ground dropped away sharply. He swung his sword with fierce concentration, each strike whistling through the air. Small wildflowers clung to the rocky edges of the cliff, their bright colours a contrast to the grey stone.

“Senior!”

Catton perked up his ears and leaped down. Lee Han was horrified by the sight of the senior flying down as if falling.

Bang!

With a loud noise, Catton landed lightly.

“Welcome! Junior! I’ve been waiting! Oh, you could have sent a paper bird!”

“Yes? Ah. That’s…”

Lee Han was slightly taken aback by the senior’s overly enthusiastic reaction. He hadn’t expected it at all.

And the reason he came directly without sending a paper bird was simple.

Catton might have failed to reply.

Of course, he couldn’t say that, so Lee Han composed himself and expressed it indirectly.

“When else would I have the chance to see you in person, Senior, if not for this opportunity?”

“Junior…!”

Catton was so moved that his long, thin cat-like whiskers trembled.

To think that there was a junior who thought of him this way.

Although they were in different towers, Catton thought he had a really good junior.

“Actually, I’ve made a lot of progress in magic recently.”

“Oh, is that so?”

“I dare say, I can handle my share in any commission with this much skill. My friends will be very surprised if they know!”

Saying that, Catton subtly looked at the junior.

It was a signal to quickly propose his participation in the commission.

“You’re amazing, Senior. Actually, the reason I came here today is to ask for your help…”

“Anything is fine! Speak comfortably!”

“Th, thank you. Actually.”

“Hmm!”

“I’m trying to defeat the evil god worshippers…”

“…?”

Catton sensed something was off.

“Huh?”