Surviving As A Mage In A Magic Academy [EN]: Chapter 143

Lee Han breathed a sigh of relief. He had gotten away with it. The professor hadn’t noticed a thing. Then, as he watched Professor Volardi walk away, a new thought came to him. *Could I step on him again later?* Lee Han quickly shook his head. *Don’t be too confident,* he thought. *Stepping on the professor’s foot, even once, was risky.* Complacency invites danger, he reminded himself. Even if it had been enjoyable to see the professor stumble, doing it again would be foolish.

“Professor, since they are guests from outside, I will treat them.”

“Do you want to do that?”

“Yes.”

Lee Han said firmly. Professor Volardi didn’t bother to stop him.

It was because he wasn’t very interested in guests from outside.

Professor Volardi watched Lee Han. *He must be really excited about the festival,* the professor thought. *Why else would he be so generous to these Valdrogard guests?*

“It is an honor to meet you.”

At Lee Han’s polite greeting, the professor from Valdrogard was unknowingly impressed.

The nobles of the Empire would prove their lineage in even the smallest details.

In the brief moments they showed—their intonation, habits, and actions—the nobles could recognize each other.

Sometimes, newly emerged lower noble families who had accumulated wealth would try to act like the Empire’s historic great noble families, only to be ridiculed for it.

They could accumulate splendid mansions and wealth, but they could not accumulate the time and customs of a family.

And the figure the boy in front of them was showing was one that only someone from a great noble family could show.

So much so that even the Valdrogard students, who had been grumbling, quietly shut their mouths.

“Which family are you from?”

“I am from the Wodanaz family.”

“Wodanaz! Indeed… worthy of entering Einrogard.”

The other professor said with a hint of praise. But to Lee Han, it didn’t sound much like praise. He felt a slight chill, as if the compliment was laced with something else. He quickly changed the subject.

“I have heard a lot about Valdrogard’s reputation here as well.”

At those words, the students’ faces brightened slightly.

More than any other praise, the praise from the Einrogard student in front of them was bound to feel the sweetest.

Of course, Lee Han had never heard of Valdrogard’s reputation at school.

He was too busy trying to make a living and do his homework; who would have the leisure to talk about Valdrogard?

“Is that so? I am very pleased.”

But Lee Han’s well-intentioned lie certainly made the other party happy.

Everyone from Valdrogard seemed to have become happy.

Lee Han, looking at the happy students, suddenly had a question.

*But how can Valdrogard students visit another school’s festival?*

Valdrogard. Located in the western part of the Empire, and only those from noble families enter—that was all Lee Han knew.

But wasn’t it a magic school anyway?

The Valdrogard students must also be struggling and fighting within the suffocating school.

But how?

“But how… did you visit the festival?”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, students at *our* school can’t leave the school grounds, except for special reasons. Is it different at Valdrogard?”

The professor from Valdrogard looked at Lee Han as if he was talking nonsense.

“Ah, you mean… they can’t go outside during lectures…? Or at night?”

“…After lectures… during free time… can’t they go outside the school?”

Lee Han’s heart pounded in his chest. He watched the professor’s face, dreading the answer.

“You’re joking!”

The Valdrogard professor threw back his head and roared with laughter, a sound that echoed in the hall. Lee Han’s face stiffened.

“Isn’t that the case?”

“No! To not allow them outside the school during their free time. Why would we do such a thing?”

“Oh…”

Without knowing Lee Han’s true feelings, the professor from Valdrogard kindly continued the explanation.

Valdrogard was located not far from a large city, and students would ride horses to the city after class to enjoy various leisure activities.

Sometimes, high-spirited students would cause trouble while drunk in the evening, but that was inevitable with youthful exuberance.

For nobles, such social activities were also important virtues.

Lee Han’s jaw tightened. *Nobles,* he thought bitterly. *Of course they can just ride to the city whenever they want.* He imagined them laughing and having fun while he was stuck inside, studying and working. *Annoying bastards!*

“So, this trip… you just came without any problems?”

“Yes. If students apply to gain experience by touring the Empire, it gets approved.”

“Still, wouldn’t there be some rules that prevent just anyone from coming?”

Lee Han persistently pressed, without realizing it himself. It felt like it would be too unfair otherwise.

“Ah, there is something.”

“Indeed…! Only those who have made great contributions to the school can go out, or something like that?”

“That’s too harsh. Students who cause a disturbance in the city more than four times a month are banned from going out for a week.”

Lee Han felt he understood why Professor Volardi treated Valdrogard like trash.

Wasn’t it because of such lax rules that the nobles’ minds were rotting?

*Get a grip.*

Lee Han steeled himself.

He was envious of the Valdrogard students, but what would change if he acted like this now?

The important thing was to make a good impression on the guests from outside.

Connections had to be maintained from the start. You never knew when or where they might be used.

A Valdrogard-出身 magician might be his superior in a job he finds after graduation.

“What year are the people who came here?”

“Second and third year.”

“…Second and third year can go together…? Ah, it’s because only the first years aren’t together, is that it?”

“What are you talking about…? First years can be together too. The first years decided to travel elsewhere, so their direction is different.”

Lee Han was shocked once again.

Surprisingly, Valdrogard did not separate the first years!

*…I suppose so.*

Come to think of it, there was no reason to separate the first years if they could go out to the city.

“Why are you asking such a question…? Does Einrogard perhaps isolate the first years separately?”

“Yes.”

Lee Han answered honestly, but the guests from Valdrogard did not believe him.

Lee Han told a joke, and his friend burst out laughing. “That’s a great joke, Lee Han!” his friend said, still chuckling. “If you keep the first-year students by themselves, they can’t do anything fun – no parties, no clubs!”

Lee Han sighed and looked up at the sky. *I wish these guests would just go away,* he thought. He thought it wouldn’t be too difficult to make a good impression on guests from outside, but it was harder than he thought.

Even after they finished talking, the Valdrogard students stayed. They were very interested in the ‘Dodge the Water Orb’ game hanging on the tent. It was a target with a picture of a funny face, and buckets of water balls were ready nearby.

“What’s that?” one of them asked.

“It’s a game for our festival,” Lee Han explained. The Valdrogard students were polite, but they really wanted to play. Lee Han didn’t really want to throw water balls at them. He sighed inwardly. *Why are they still here?* Students from his own school, White Tiger Tower, would play even if he warned them, but the Valdrogard students didn’t even need the prize.

“Can we play too?” one Valdrogard student asked.

“Yes, but the prize is a pass to leave school for a day. It won’t help you,” Lee Han said.

“That’s okay! Honor is more important than that!” another Valdrogard student replied.

Lee Han thought angrily, *These arrogant students!* He was furious. The Valdrogard students could leave school whenever they wanted. But for the Einrogard students, a single outing pass was incredibly precious.

And these Valdrogard students, who didn’t even understand how important it was, wanted to win it just for ‘honor.’ *Do nobles from the Empire have no idea about real life?* Lee Han wondered.

“…Alright. Participate.”

The Valdrogard students were excited as soon as Lee Han said yes. They raised their hands, eager to play. They wanted to show they were better than the Einrogard students!

“Let me go first!” one said.

“No, I should go first! I’m the best at magic to protect myself!” another argued.

“You don’t need protection magic. I can see the future, so I’ll be fine!” a third student boasted.

“And I’ll use magic to make myself stronger!” said a fourth.

Lee Han watched them argue and raised his wand. He looked at Professor Volardi. Professor Volardi nodded. Lee Han nodded back. They both knew what to do without speaking.

Suddenly, the Headmaster appeared. He was a skull that floated in the air, with glowing green eyes and a stern expression. He saw students from another school leaving. They had blood dripping from their noses, and he looked confused. *Valdrogard?* he thought. *Did the Valdrogard students come?*

“Yes, Headmaster,” someone replied. “It seems they were traveling and heard about our festival, so they came to visit.”

The Headmaster clicked his teeth in annoyance. *Relaxing and traveling. No wonder they aren’t good at magic.* He paused. *Who hurt them?*

“Well,” the person said, “it’s normal to get a little hurt when you’re practicing magic…”

The Headmaster listened more closely. He heard someone say, “Don’t be too sad, everyone. The person you played against was older and has practiced magic longer than you.”

“But it was so unfair…” another voice complained.

“Professor, was it a fourth or fifth-year student?” someone asked.

“That doesn’t matter now,” the Professor replied. “I’ll heal you. Let’s go see other parts of the festival when your noses stop bleeding.”

The Headmaster was confused. *What kind of silly older student would ignore my rules and get involved in the first-year festival?* he thought. *It can’t be an older student.* Students in fourth or fifth year usually know better. They wouldn’t risk getting caught. The Headmaster followed the drops of blood left by the Valdrogard students.

Then, the Headmaster saw Professor Volardi and Lee Han standing nearby. *Aha!* he thought. *Now I understand!* *I knew it!* *Good job,* he thought. *You’ve made Einrogard look good.*

Lee Han bowed his head as the Headmaster floated closer.

“No, Headmaster,” Lee Han said. “I’m ashamed I couldn’t control my power and hurt them.”

“No, it’s fine,” the Headmaster said, surprising Lee Han. “Those Valdrogard students are just bad people who trick rich nobles and pretend to be important. It’s okay that you used a little force.” He noticed Professor Volardi looked mostly unharmed. “Professor Volardi, you’re alright?” the Headmaster asked.

Lee Han answered calmly, even though the Headmaster was being harsh.

“No, Headmaster,” Lee Han said. “The Valdrogard students were also very good.”

*Even though you beat up those older students easily, you don’t sound very proud!* the Headmaster thought. *You should be more arrogant!*

Lee Han stayed calm and didn’t change his expression, even though the Headmaster was trying to make him boast. *In old stories, if you listen to bad advice like this, things go wrong,* Lee Han thought.

The Headmaster looked bored when Lee Han didn’t react.

“How boring…” the Headmaster said. “Anyway, let’s go.”

“Where are we going?” Lee Han asked.

“Professor Begreck,” the Headmaster said. “Is our time finished?” Professor Volardi nodded. He had agreed to share Lee Han with the Headmaster for a set time, and that time was now over.

“It’s finished,” Professor Volardi said. He took down the letters from the tent and closed the door. Lee Han suddenly understood what was happening and looked at Professor Volardi, shocked.

“?” he mouthed silently. Professor Volardi didn’t understand Lee Han’s look. Lee Han thought to himself, *I should have hurt his foot more.* He clenched his fist, feeling frustrated.

“Do you know why you have to do this with me?” the Headmaster asked. Lee Han followed him and answered politely, ‘Because you are a wise teacher who cares about the students.’

*Don’t say scary things like that,* the Headmaster thought. *The Emperor told me to do this.*

*Ah,* Lee Han thought. *Now I understand.* He had thought it was just the Headmaster’s strange hobby, but now he realized it was too much fun for the Headmaster to do just for fun. Of course, Lee Han wasn’t enjoying it at all, even though he was a first-year student.

“What do you need me to do?” Lee Han asked.

“This and that. Let’s start by making magic fireworks.”

“Aren’t fireworks usually for the start of the festival?” Lee Han asked, surprised that the Headmaster knew about such things. But then he realized it was probably too late for the start. *Are you going to use them at the end?* he wondered.

“No,” the Headmaster said. “I’m going to shoot them at the students.” Lee Han was speechless.