Surviving As A Mage In A Magic Academy [EN]: Chapter 16

Since they would be training with swords all semester, Ethan saw no point in lying about being from a magic family who dreamed of being a Sword Master. It wouldn’t help either of them.

Besides, Ethan knew he needed to ease the White Tiger Tower students’ wariness of him.

“I’ll just try to get by and get my score, so you don’t need to worry about me!”

Moradi looked confused, unsure if Ethan was telling the truth.

“Well… I see,” Moradi said. “I’m from the Moradi family. Just call me Moradi.”

“Alright. Nice to meet you, Moradi.”

Ethan took Moradi’s hand and shook it gently. Even though Moradi was small, the blisters and calluses on his palm showed he came from a knightly family.

‘Wait. If he’s from the Moradi family…’

Ethan had heard of the Moradi family. They were an Imperial Knight family known for protecting the cold North with strict rules and unwavering determination.

‘…He’s a bit different from what I imagined.’

” ? ”

Moradi looked at Ethan, wondering about his expression.

‘Well, family reputations aren’t always accurate.’

Compared to the student who started a fight earlier, Moradi seemed more reasonable. Ethan needed to win him over to ease the other White Tiger Tower students’ wariness.

The Azure Rock Sword. That was the swordsmanship Ethan had learned from Alarong, his family’s old knight. As the name suggested, Alarong’s swordsmanship was solid and steadfast.

Alarong had told Ethan, “There are countless swordsmanships in the world: fast, slow, sharp, blunt, heavy, light, simple, complex… You don’t need to learn them all, and I can’t teach them all. I can only teach you my path, the one I’ve learned and believe in. Someday, Ethan, as you walk the path of the sword, you will find your own.”

Alarong had practiced swordsmanship for decades, while Ethan had only practiced for less than ten years, so Ethan couldn’t understand everything Alarong said.

But Ethan had one advantage other nobles didn’t: he did whatever he was told. He followed Alarong’s instructions so well that Alarong was surprised. Because of this, Ethan’s swordsmanship was solid, with no wasted movements.

“Azure Rock Sword? Your basics are well-established,” Professor Ingardel said after seeing Ethan’s stance. “What family are you from? If it’s Azure Rock Sword, then surely…”

“I’m from the Wodanaz family.”

“…?”

Professor Ingardel paused, surprised. Was the Wodanaz family’s swordsmanship the Azure Rock Sword?

Remembering what kind of family the Wodanaz family was, Professor Ingardel asked curiously, “May I ask why you are trying to learn swordsmanship?”

“Isn’t swordsmanship a basic skill for an Imperial noble?”

Ingardel smiled bitterly at that answer. It wasn’t wrong, but it wasn’t what he wanted to hear. To a born swordsman like Ingardel, swordsmanship was about life and death, not just a skill for nobles.

“At first, I thought so too and learned it. But the more I learned, the more I realized that swordsmanship is a profound discipline, no less than magic. That’s why I came here to learn more.”

“…Full marks!!”

“Pardon?”

“It’s nothing.”

Ingardel waved his hand, having shown his real feelings without meaning to because Ethan’s answer was so good. He couldn’t believe someone from the magical Wodanaz family would take swordsmanship so seriously. Ethan had a much better attitude than some of the pretentious White Tiger Tower students.

‘Did it work?’

Ethan watched Ingardel’s expression closely. Compared to the crazy Lich Headmaster, Professor Ingardel was easy to read and kind, despite his fierce appearance. For Ethan, who had been worn down by crazy professors, winning over someone as innocent as Professor Ingardel was easy. Even if he was just there to get points, he had to hide his true intentions.

“That’s an excellent mindset.”

“Thank you.”

“Hearing those words makes me think I should work hard too. I’ll take you seriously. Now, pick up your wooden sword.”

“…”

Ethan slightly regretted answering so well.

Professor Ingardel beat the students relentlessly. At first, Professor Ingardel seemed nice. But after he beat them a few times, the students got angry and attacked him. Professor Ingardel beat them again. They became quiet and scared.

‘Wow. This is no joke.’

Ethan’s swordsmanship still had a long way to go, but he could tell how great Professor Ingardel was. Alarong was a great swordsman, but Professor Ingardel was just as great. If Alarong was like an unmoving rock, Ingardel was like rapidly flowing water. It was amazing that he moved so well even with a prosthetic arm and leg.

The students, who had been training in their family’s swordsmanship for a long time, couldn’t keep up with Professor Ingardel’s movements and were beaten mercilessly.

“The movements of the Azure Cloud Sword have too few variations. The core of dual swords is its difficulty and complexity! Don’t just swing your swords aimlessly, but think more and then swing.”

“The High Mountain Moon Sword should be faster and sharper! Don’t hesitate when you stab, but throw your body towards full power.”

As a professor should, Ingardel knew all the different sword styles the students used. There were hundreds of famous swordsmanships in the Empire alone, and countless more passed down within families. Yet Ingardel knew them all.

“Let’s take a break.”

“…”

“Ugh…”

“You son of a…”

The students groaned and lay down. They wanted to curse, but they were too tired. Ethan’s muscles were also stiff and his body was numb.

Ethan thought to himself, ‘The Azure Rock Sword is a swordsmanship like a rock. Don’t be shaken by any attack.’

He also thought, ‘Uh, Professor’s skills are better than mine, how can I not be shaken?’

Alarong’s voice echoed in his head, ‘Now, I’ll keep attacking. Try to block it! Now! Now! Now!’

Ingardel found weaknesses that even Ethan didn’t know and struck them. Ethan had to block hard to survive.

‘No matter how I think about it, I think I misspoke…’

As the break time came, Ethan couldn’t help but think he had been hit a little more, more persistently, than the other students. It could have been because of his swordsmanship, but his gut told him no. Hadn’t he already learned what happens when you get on the wrong side of a professor in >Understanding Basic Alchemy>?

Should he have just stayed quiet?

‘I didn’t know I’d get beaten more for getting points.’

“Wodanaz?”

“Yes, Professor.”

“Come out for a sparring match.”

“…”

Ethan really thought he had misspoke. He was going to get beaten alone while others rested.

But Ingardel didn’t call Ethan out to beat him. “This is Derkyu from the Choi family. Have the two students spar briefly.”

“!”

Not only Ethan but also the resting students were surprised. Why those two?

‘Isn’t that the guy who picked a fight earlier?’

Ethan looked at Derkyu with a sullen expression. He didn’t like him, since he was the one who had started the fight, asking, ‘Why is a guy from another dormitory taking classes?’ Besides, he was so narrow-minded that he picked a fight even after knowing Ethan was from the Wodanaz family. He would surely rush in without mercy during the sparring match.

“Understood, Professor!”

Derkyu glared at Ethan as if to kill him. Ethan clicked his tongue inwardly. ‘His true intentions are very clear.’

Derkyu’s intention to step on a pesky student from another dormitory was written all over his face. Ethan wondered why the professor had chosen him specifically. ‘Surely I wasn’t targeted for being a student from another dormitory. He seemed to like my answer earlier.’

Now that things had come to this, Ethan had no intention of backing down. He could have stayed in his family’s mansion, but he had learned swordsmanship from Alarong, getting beaten so he wouldn’t be beaten in times like this!

The reason Professor Ingardel chose Derkyu and Ethan was simple: they were the most outstanding students at the moment. Swordsmanship couldn’t be used immediately just by learning it. The core techniques, the sword forms, had to be practiced thousands of times and experienced in actual combat to understand them.

For example, if there’s a technique to stab the opponent’s chest and then change the trajectory to stab the neck, no sensible enemy would fall for it without preparation. You have to add subtle movements, like threatening to swing or feinting to aim for the lower body, to make the technique effective. Understanding a sword form meant being able to fully execute it with such applications.

Just knowing how to understand and use the sword forms was enough to overwhelm most fighters who are paid to fight. Most fighters didn’t know proper techniques. They just swung their swords hard, using their gut feeling and power. In that respect, Derkyu and Ethan were at a level where they understood and could use the sword forms they had learned. Moreover, they even infused magic into their weapons, albeit weakly.

Even though they were young, their talent meant they could become great knights. Ingardel thought, ‘How hard must it have been to practice swordsmanship to that extent in a magical family like the Wodanaz family!’

It was understandable for Derkyu from the Choi family, but it was unexpected for a student from a magical family like the Wodanaz family to be so skilled in swordsmanship, which made Ingardel even more fond of him.

Ingardel thought, ‘Swordsmanship is as deep and meaningful as magic. That student must have felt that way too, so he came to learn with determination.’

Ingardel was misunderstanding Ethan. The Wodanaz family didn’t interfere much with Ethan learning swordsmanship from Alarong. They generally did their own thing and didn’t interfere with each other’s activities. But to Ingardel, who didn’t know that, Ethan was a commendable and pitiful student. Now that they had met, Ingardel felt responsible for guiding Ethan on the path of the sword.

Ingardel mused, ‘The Choi family’s High Mountain Moon Sword is a fast and sharp quick sword. In comparison, the Wodanaz’s Azure Rock Sword is a heavy and strong greatsword. They are completely opposite styles. Having them compete against each other will be very educational. On the path of the sword, a rival is more valuable than anything.’

Of course, Professor Ingardel knew that the White Tiger Tower students were hostile to Ethan, the only student from another dormitory. But that would be resolved over time. If they were beaten like dogs under Professor Ingardel, they wouldn’t have time to be hostile. They would only hate Professor Ingardel!

Professor Ingardel sincerely wanted the two most outstanding students to have a positive influence on each other, and for that influence to spread to the other students as well.

Just then, Professor Ingardel saw Ethan kick dirt with his foot and scatter it on Derkyu’s face.