Surviving As A Mage In A Magic Academy [EN]: Chapter 136

Having arrived at the Blue Dragon Tower, Lee Han spoke to the students who were relaxing in the lounge.

“If you help Asan and me with this project, I’ll reward you all with…”

“Sure, why not?”

“Let’s go.”

The friends closed their books and put down their chess pieces even before Lee Han finished talking about the reward.

Lee Han was a little surprised.

“Are you sure? It’s going to be boring work all weekend, you know.”

One friend said, using Lee Han’s nickname, “Wodanaz, you always help with things like this anyway.”

Lee Han was touched by his friends’ kind words.

What was the magic school doing to these students, making them so eager to help!

“Where’s Gainando?”

“He’s resting upstairs… Wodanaz, I don’t think Gainando will come.”

The friends didn’t think Gainando would come.

With his personality, weekend work was out of the question. There was no way he would participate.

‘But Gainando has to participate.’

Lee Han didn’t change his mind. If the Blue Dragon Tower students included even a prince when Professor Alpen’s friend arrived at the school, Lee Han’s abilities would be seen as even better.

“Don’t worry. I have a plan.”

Lee Han called out to Gainando.

Gainando, who had been relaxing in his private room, came downstairs, looking puzzled. Gainando had been relaxing in his private room, a comfortable space with thick curtains blocking out the afternoon sun.

“Why? What’s going on?”

“I’m sorry about this, Gainando.”

Lee Han said with a voice full of regret. Gainando was terrified by those words.

“Am I… am I going to the punishment room?”

“No. It’s not that.”

“Phew…”

“I was planning to work on a magic circle with the other friends. But it turns out you can’t participate.”

Gainando looked confused. ‘Is that it?’ he thought. ‘Is he just asking me to not help?’

Gainando tilted his head.

Isn’t this a good thing?

‘Oops. If I look too interested, they will make me join in.’

Gainando struggled to control his expression. These friends here had nasty personalities that hated seeing Gainando rest.

“I’m really sorry. I wanted to let you participate too.”

“Y-yeah.”

“Then rest well. I’m sorry again, Gainando.”

“…Wait a minute. Just a minute.”

Gainando grabbed Lee Han, who was about to turn around after speaking.

He hadn’t been interested at first, but Lee Han kept apologizing, which made him curious. Could there be something to it?

“Lee Han. Why are you so sorry that I can’t participate in that magic circle work?”

“It’s only natural to feel bad when I can’t let a friend participate in something so fun.”

“Fun?”

“Yeah.”

“…??”

Gainando thought for a moment that Lee Han had become strange.

But then Gainando thought about it. Lee Han was always like this – always studying and working hard.

‘How unfortunate can it be.’

Unfortunately, Gainando couldn’t change Lee Han. Gainando was about to give up and let Lee Han go…

“That’s right. I’m really sorry, Gainando.”

“We really wanted to let you participate too…”

“???”

However, when even the other friends said that, Gainando fell into confusion.

Could it be that magic circle work had become a popular game among the freshmen while Gainando wasn’t looking?

“Fun? Really?”

“Gainando… don’t you know yet? How fun magic circle work is?”

Yoner said to Gainando with a shocked expression.

Gainando hesitated and then answered.

“…Of course, I know!”

“……”

“……”

The friends looked at Gainando closely for a moment. Gainando didn’t see the surprise in their eyes.

“Then why can’t I go?”

“There are followers of the princess. They don’t like you showing up.”

“What?! Lee Han, are you serious?! You’re just going to let those bullies stop me? That’s not like you at all!”

Gainando was furious at the princess’s followers, whom he didn’t even know.

Of course, Adenart was more famous than Gainando, better at magic, excelled in academics, and was skilled in various arts, but other than that, there wasn’t really anything better about him than Gainando, was there?

And yet, they dared to try to keep Gainando from coming!

“Is that so?”

“Lee Han. You weren’t that kind of friend. You used to beat up anyone who messed with you!”

“…Wasn’t I a little less extreme than that?”

“No! This isn’t like you!”

“But weren’t you not very interested?”

“I’m very interested in magic circle work! I want to do it!”

“Really? I understand. I’ll speak strongly about it.”

Gainando’s face brightened at Lee Han’s words.

“Thank you! Thank you!”

“It’s nothing.”

Watching Gainando run off excitedly, the Blue Dragon Tower students looked at Lee Han with admiration.

Just because the number of students increased didn’t mean the work sped up dramatically.

The students who had used up their mana went to the side of the lecture hall and lay down one by one.

When about 1/3 of the magic circle was completed, Lee Han was the only one left. They went to the large lecture hall, its high ceilings echoing with their footsteps. Dust motes danced in the shafts of sunlight coming through the tall windows.

‘Don’t they all have too little mana?’

But complaining wouldn’t restore his friends’ mana. Lee Han silently continued the work. Hours passed. The sun started to move across the sky.

Before he knew it, the evening sun was setting.

“Impressive.”

“??”

Lee Han turned his head.

He thought it would be Professor Alpen since he was in the lecture hall, but it wasn’t. It was a face he had never seen before.

“Are you a professor?”

“In some ways, yes.”

“In some ways, yes. You have a natural talent for this kind of work.”

“?”

Lee Han was puzzled by the other person’s riddle-like answer.

A professor in some ways, what on earth did that mean?

‘Ah. I see.’

However, Lee Han, being a skilled student, immediately realized.

“You must be working as the professor’s direct disciple.”

Some students stay at the magic school even after they become older students. They don’t graduate right away. They often work with a professor to learn more about magic. They want to study magic in more depth.

To become the professor’s direct disciple meant spending time with them, inheriting their knowledge, and exploring the magical world together.

Sometimes, it also meant taking over the less exciting tasks that the professor had to do, like teaching students.

“No!”

“Aren’t you?”

The other person glared at Lee Han, clearly finding his statement ridiculous.

Who was whose disciple, anyway?

For wizards across the Empire, Einroguard Magic School inspired many feelings.

Wandering wizards who hadn’t had proper training longed to be there.

Wizards from other magic schools felt envy.

And for wizards working in the Empire’s offices…

“I don’t know how much gold they’re squeezing out of us,” Kendri Baku grumbled, a senior accountant from the Empire.

“Isn’t it a place to nurture the future leaders of the Empire?” a guard replied.

“I’m a wizard too! There’s no way that much gold should be spent on young students, no matter how talented they are. It must be going towards the wizards’ own research!” Kendri complained as he walked.

He was visiting the magic school at the invitation of his friend, Professor Alphen Knighten, but that wasn’t the only reason.

Kendri wanted to see the magic school for himself.

Since the school was holding its spring festival, it was a good time for visitors to look around.

“You’ve arrived a few days earlier than promised. Is everything alright?” Professor Alphen asked.

“Yes. I did it on purpose,” Kendri replied.

Kendri had lied about his arrival date for a simple reason: if he arrived on time, the wizards might hide anything they didn’t want him to see.

It was better to arrive early. Although Alphen was a friend, he wasn’t good at lying. Even if Kendri asked him directly, he probably wouldn’t get the truth.

“I’ve heard that Einroguard’s students are harshly trained from their first year to cultivate their hunger for magic, but the rumors seem a bit exaggerated,” the guard said, looking at a student from the Blue Dragon Tower.

Seeing the student carrying snacks, the rumors did seem a bit much.

“Maybe it’s because the priests visited this week,” Kendri suggested.

“But looking at his face, he’s clearly eating well. And his clothes, too,” the guard pointed out.

“Hmm… that’s true. You have a point.” Kendri nodded.

The student did seem to be doing better than he’d heard. ‘Was it just an exaggerated rumor?’

Kendri briefly considered that this might be why the school needed so much money, but he quickly dismissed the thought. Even so, it was too much.

“Let’s go in,” he said.

“Yes,” the guard replied.

Kendri walked past the dormitory tower and looked around the main building’s lecture hall.

Surprisingly, some students were there on the weekend, practicing magic.

The guard was impressed.

“As expected of Einroguard. The students are all so passionate, practicing even at this hour.”

“But why are they lying down like that?” Kendri asked.

“It must be because of a lack of mana,” the guard explained.

Kendri knew why the students were sprawled out in the lecture hall.

Inexperienced wizards often suffered from mana shortages. They must have made a mistake while creating a magic circle.

However, one student was still working, not collapsed like the others.

There was only one explanation: he was perfectly calculating the mana needed for the magic circle.

If he knew exactly how much mana each part of the circle required, he wouldn’t overdo it.

That student must have spent months preparing, memorizing the blueprint and studying it so thoroughly that it appeared in his dreams.

Reminded of his own younger days, Kendri said, “Impressive.”

“Ah, you’re the professor’s friend. I’ve heard about you,” Lee Han said, bowing politely.

He wasn’t just being polite because of Professor Alphen; the man was also a high-ranking official of the Empire.

‘But why did he come so early?’ Lee Han wondered.

“You’ve heard about me?” Kendri asked.

“Yes. I was preparing this magic circle to show you,” Lee Han explained.

“Typical Alphen. I’m sorry for making you go to all this trouble,” Kendri said, sweeping back his curly hair.

“You must have started preparing as soon as the semester began.”

“It wasn’t that long ago,” Lee Han replied.

“How long did it take?” Kendri asked casually.

Considering the difficulty of the magic circle, how much Lee Han had already completed, and how quickly he’d been working, Kendri thought he must have started at the beginning of the semester.

Lee Han hesitated. ‘If I say I started today, will I seem insincere?’

“I started today,” he admitted.

Kendri was so surprised that he almost dropped his staff.

“Today?”

“Yes.”

“Are you perhaps from the Wodanaz family?” Kendri inquired.

“That’s right,” Lee Han confirmed, silently thanking Professor Alphen for mentioning his name in class.

Lee Han tried to appear humble, like a promising young wizard, without rushing or hesitating too much.

“I was wondering if Alphen was exaggerating… but there’s a reason he praises you so much,” Kendri admitted.

To complete this much in just one day was incredible. Even if he had studied the magic circle beforehand, he was clearly a genius, especially since theory and practice were so different.

‘There’s a reason Alphen thinks he’s outstanding,’ Kendri thought.

“Well, that’s what magic schools are for – to nurture students like you. Imperial offices can be run by anyone, but the study of magic is only possible for geniuses.”

“I think imperial officials are just as important as researchers,” Lee Han countered.

“Really? That’s an odd thing to say, coming from the Wodanaz family. Thank you. You’d be a good fit for an official position,” Kendri said.

Lee Han’s face lit up. “Do you think so?”

“Of course, I’m just kidding. A genius like you should be doing research.”

“…I can do official work well, too.”

“Of course, you can. But it’s a waste of talent.”

“…I don’t have much talent. I’m just constantly injecting mana to make that magic circle work.”

“What?”

“I’m constantly putting in mana and checking to see if it works…”

Kendri immediately understood what Lee Han meant.

If he truly understood the magic circle, he wouldn’t need to use trial and error.

The fact that he was experimenting meant he hadn’t been studying the circle for very long.

And yet, he had still completed so much.

It was clear that he not only had tremendous mana but also a natural talent for magic circles.

“Truly a genius!” Kendri exclaimed.

“……”