Surviving As A Mage In A Magic Academy [EN]: Chapter 1184

“Hmph. Wodanaaz, I know you’re skilled, but are you sure you made this *correctly*?”

‘He sounds like a cartoon villain.’ Lee Han looked strangely at the professor’s sudden stiffness. It reminded him of silly villain lines from the older students’ joke books, . Lee Han always thought those books were a bit exaggerated…

“If I didn’t make it correctly, I’ll just make it again. It’s not an easy task, you know.”

“Don’t talk about being sensible when you’re so *unpredictable*!” Professor Thunderfoot frowned, annoyed. It was especially irritating to see his most unusual student acting so calm. If he was going to be unpredictable, he should talk unpredictably too!

“Well, the energy feels alright.” Professor Thunderfoot paused. “Now, shall we check the scent?” With a quick wave of his hand, he examined the Scent of Insight Lee Han had made. A skilled alchemist didn’t need to deeply inhale to know its power; a simple touch was enough.

“…Well made.”

“Thank you!”

“How did you handle the cinnabar? Separating it must have been difficult.” Professor Thunderfoot wasn’t known for being kind. He’d given them the recipe for the Scent of Insight for the midterm, but it was more like a challenge: ‘You won’t make this easily, even with the instructions.’ Alchemy wasn’t so simple that just knowing the recipe guaranteed success.

For example, the recipe was simple: ‘Mix Ascending Fragrance and cinnabar.’ But these two ingredients usually *don’t* mix easily. You needed deep knowledge of cinnabar and special techniques to combine them…

“Actually, I didn’t use cinnabar.”

“What?!”

“I used gold.”

Professor Thunderfoot quickly *sensed* the Scent of Insight. Beyond the sudden, powerful feeling of insight, he could detect the energy of gold, not cinnabar, spreading like a mist within the scent. “Gold?! Expensive, yes… but not bad… no, this is extraordinary.” Professor Thunderfoot murmured, impressed.

Hearing about the gold, he wondered why *he* hadn’t thought of it. Of course, there was a reason: gold was incredibly expensive. As a professor at Einrogard, where resources were shared with students, unlike at richer Baldrogard, such luxury was unthinkable. Still, he felt outdone. Professor Thunderfoot trembled slightly and clutched his beard. “Q… Quite impressive,” he admitted grudgingly.

“Thank you!” “Actually, someone who taught me this was…” Before Lee Han could say something else that would annoy him, Professor Thunderfoot cut him off. If Wodanaaz said something smug like, ‘The professor taught me this,’ he might actually explode.

“Wait… there’s something else…” Professor Thunderfoot, still examining the scent, stared at Lee Han in disbelief. “Is this… not beast bone, but… evil dragon bone?!” He’d told them to use beast bones, but this was pure dark magic. Reagents with such strong dark magic were rare, especially in bone. Could it only come from a corrupted dragon? Of course, dragon bone was impossible for a normal student. But Wodanaaz wasn’t normal, was he?

Had he stolen it from the headmaster’s vault? From rich nobles he met on vacation? From his own family’s stores? Or even asked Prince Jaurin to steal it for him? ‘Thinking about it, this kid has too many connections.’ Professor Thunderfoot glared at Lee Han as if he were insane. Lee Han, of course, was giving him the same look.

“I used normal bone pieces, but I added dark magic to them.”

“…Ah.” Professor Thunderfoot felt foolish as his common sense returned. Of course! Wodanaaz was talented in dark magic; he could make his own dark bone. His magic was powerful and pure – it made perfect sense.

“Why waste gold like it’s dirt, but then be so cheap with bones! It makes no sense!”

“Actually, someone who taught me this was…”

“When did *I* ever teach you that?!” Professor Thunderfoot completely lost it, jumping up and down. He’d rather Wodanaaz just claim he invented it himself; that would be less annoying.

“No, I wasn’t going to say you taught me, Professor.”

“…Oh.” The professor suddenly looked embarrassed. And even a little sad. ‘Couldn’t he have said he learned *something* from me?’ He was still a professor, after all… “Then who… wait a minute. Don’t tell me… it was that hamster?!”

“What are you talking about? Of course not.”

-…… The hamster was speechless, just staring at the top of Lee Han’s head with annoyance. He could have just said ‘no,’ but Lee Han had to make it sound so insulting.

“The young headmaster told me.”

“…” Professor Thunderfoot froze for a second. That was an unexpected name. “…Did the young headmaster *write* this down for you?”

“Yes? Uh…”

“Let me see!” Lee Han remembered the hamster’s warning and tried to hide the papers under his arm, but the professor was too quick. Professor Thunderfoot snatched the papers and started reading the young prince’s harsh notes, his eyes darting across the page.

“This is… I could have thought of gold too, but you never give me money… you use all the expensive stuff… it’s not like I said getting beast bones was easy… if you’re a real alchemist, you should manage that much…” Professor Thunderfoot mumbled, arguing with the *invisible* headmaster in his head. Lee Han, surprised by this outburst, whispered to the hamster, “The professor’s lost it.”

-I told you not to show it!

“You didn’t say it *that* strongly. You just said ‘don’t show it.’ Don’t exaggerate.”

-…… The hamster paused, as if considering pulling out his whiskers in frustration. Fighting would only make things worse. “Anyway, by *your* standards, who would ever be a good alchemist…”

“Professor?”

“…There are no good alchemy professors! That’s why you tricked me into teaching for a year… ‘full support,’ you said? I almost took you to court, but I held back…”

“Professor!”

“Huh? Oh dear.” Professor Thunderfoot, who had been ranting, blinked and seemed to come back to himself. Lee Han, who was worried he might need to get Professor Lightningfoot, sighed in relief. “Are you okay?”

-Does it *look* like I’m okay?

The hamster rolled his eyes. Professor Thunderfoot glared at him too.

“Will I ever be okay?”

“…S-Sorry.”

“It’s fine… it’s not your fault. It’s all the headmaster’s fault.”

“Exactly.” Lee Han nodded quickly. If the skeletal headmaster wasn’t always bothering Professor Thunderfoot, he wouldn’t be like this.

“Full marks.” Professor Thunderfoot sighed. “In the future, ask me before you ask the young headmaster. Please.”

“Thank you.”

“But what request caused all this trouble?” Professor Thunderfoot asked, trying to hide how annoyed he still was. Maybe knowing the request would make him feel a little better. “It’s not just the request; I’m also looking for Professor Begreck.”

“…” The professor went silent. He slowly lit his pipe again, puffed out a cloud of smoke, and finally spoke quietly. “…If I ever run away from this school, please, just let me go…”

Professor Verdus was definitely the most miserable person in Einrogard these days. The reason was simple: he was actually doing the work he was supposed to do. “This is outrageous! So many lectures!”

“…Professor,” Professor Garcia sighed, regretting sitting next to Professor Verdus in the faculty lounge, “you still have the fewest classes… right?” Professors Yonlramo and Pacelette exchanged pitying glances. ‘He’s still learning,’ one thought. ‘Never answer Verdus,’ the other added mentally. Professor Verdus was like a bottomless pit of complaints; no matter how much you tried to reason with him, he’d just keep whining. The best strategy was to ignore him completely.

“Comparing me to others doesn’t make *me* any happier, does it?”

“…” Professor Garcia’s hand twitched, wanting to slap him. Professor Verdus, completely oblivious, kept complaining. “I should have just run away from Einrogard like Professor Begreck.”

“…Are you seriously comparing yourself to Professor Begreck, who left to deal with dangerous enemies to protect his student, with you wanting to skip lectures?!”

“Huh? Yeah.”

“…” Professor Garcia’s eyes narrowed dangerously. Professors Yonlramo and Pacelette, sensing trouble, quickly grabbed their tea and biscuits and retreated to the far corner of the lounge. They’d once joked about betting on whether Verdus’s students would even notice if he disappeared, but now it seemed unnecessary. A fight was definitely brewing in the lounge!

Just as Professor Garcia looked ready to explode, Professor Thunderfoot stumbled into the lounge, looking utterly exhausted. “P-Professor!”

“Has the Inspector General brought in some new rules?” the other professors asked, surprised. Why did this usually calm dwarf professor, who only lost his cool around the skeletal headmaster or Professor Lightningfoot, look so shaken?

“Wodanaaz…”

“???”

“Be careful… of him…” With that warning, Professor Thunderfoot slumped into the nearest armchair, looking completely drained. The other professors were too stunned to ask what had happened. Except for Professor Verdus.

“Why be careful?”

“…That kid is… destroying the exam to finish early…”

‘Hasn’t he always done that?’ some professors wondered. Wodanaaz always aced exams quickly; what was different now? Professor Thunderfoot seemed to read their minds.

“Yes, yes, you’re all thinking it. Wodanaaz is always like that, right? But this time…”

“!” Had he secretly learned mind-reading magic? The professors quickly tried to block their thoughts, just in case.

“If it was just that, I wouldn’t be warning you. He’s become… much stronger since getting advice from the young headmaster. Like, two or three levels stronger. …Can’t we just push him to graduate with the fourth years?!” The other professors almost nodded in agreement at Professor Thunderfoot’s desperate suggestion. Graduating him early, or even just moving him to fifth year, would mean less teaching for them all. But Professor Verdus immediately protested. “Absolutely not! Then who will do *my* work?” If Wodanaaz graduated, Professor Verdus would lose his best helper.

“…”

“…”

“…When is Professor Verdus’s next class? Just curious, I might… observe it.” Professor Thunderfoot said, forcing a smile.