Surviving As A Mage In A Magic Academy [EN]: Chapter 173

“Chase after him!” someone yelled.

“What?!” another student shouted back, surprised.

“We can’t let Wodanaaz win! Are you going to give up, even in a race?”

“But…” A student started, his voice uncertain. *If we push our horses too hard now,* he thought, *they’ll get exhausted. Horses aren’t machines.*

“Forget it! I’m going!” One student cracked his whip.

“Me too!” another agreed quickly.

One by one, the students grabbed their whips and urged their horses forward. They were all proud riders. Whether they came from rich families, families of knights, or even families who were traders, they all knew how to ride. No one had ever told them they were bad at riding.

And there was something else…

*‘Wodanaaz must have a reason for running like this!’* one thought.

*‘He wouldn’t just ride off without a plan, would he?’* another wondered.

Without even thinking about it, they trusted Lee Han. Could he really be riding so wildly without knowing what he was doing? Probably not. There had to be a reason. Maybe a trick.

If they followed him… maybe they would understand.

The students at the front started to ride faster and faster.

Nilia watched her friends race away, a knot of worry tightening in her stomach. She glanced around, confused.

Yoner was still there. He hadn’t moved. He sat on his brown horse, looking not just worried, but almost shocked. Nilia frowned. She couldn’t understand why he wasn’t following.

“Yoner?” she called out. “What’s wrong? Are you hurt?”

“Come on!” Nilia urged, grabbing her reins. “Let’s go after them! We can catch up! I bet I could even use my lasso to pull some of them off their horses!” She grinned, thinking about bending the rules a little.

But Yoner didn’t even seem to hear her playful suggestion. He was staring in the direction Lee Han had gone, his eyes wide. Something else had caught his attention, something much stranger than Nilia’s ideas about cheating.

“It’s… it’s not that,” Yoner stammered, still looking stunned. He shook his head, as if trying to clear his thoughts. He didn’t know how to explain what he had just seen. How could he say that the griffin, the one that had turned into a horse, was now ignoring Lee Han completely and running wild, completely out of control?

* * * * * * * *

*‘Maybe trusting a monster wasn’t such a good idea,’* Lee Han thought, gripping the griffin’s mane tighter.

As if it sensed Lee Han’s doubt, the griffin snorted, a puff of hot air in Lee Han’s face. Lee Han tried to sound calm. “It’s just a misunderstanding,” he said, patting the griffin’s neck. “Slow down now. I’m worried you’ll get tired.” *And then,* Lee Han thought to himself, *as soon as you slow down, I’m getting off and giving you a good punch.*

The griffin, of course, didn’t understand Lee Han’s secret plan. But something in Lee Han’s tone touched its pride.

*I do not get tired!* the griffin seemed to say in its own way.

-Phooheeheeing!

It sped up even more. It was like a horse that had been kept still for too long, finally free to run as fast as it could.

*‘Definitely never trusting a monster again,’* Lee Han thought, his knuckles white as he held on. The ground was a blur beneath them. He couldn’t relax for a second.

*If I’m really unlucky, he’ll throw me off!*

*Caw!*

A bird monster, like a hawk but with sharp, chicken-like claws, swooped down from a tree. It looked angry and ready to attack.

*‘Rakshasa Hawk!’* Lee Han recognized it instantly, tensing up.

But the griffin just snorted again and put on another burst of speed.

*Wham!*

The Rakshasa Hawk tried to chase them, flapping its wings hard, but it was too slow. The griffin left it behind in moments. The hawk squawked in frustration and gave up, veering away.

Lee Han blinked. “…”

But the Rakshasa Hawk wasn’t the only problem. Suddenly, a large rock by the side of the path stood up, like it had legs, and started swinging smaller rocks like fists.

The griffin didn’t even flinch. It just kept running.

Then, as they approached a river, the wooden bridge ahead vanished in a puff of smoke, leaving only open water.

Without slowing down, the griffin leaped. It soared through the air, a flying horse, and landed safely on the other side.

A thick fog rolled across the path, blocking everything from view.

The griffin charged straight into it, disappearing into the white mist.

“…Fine,” Lee Han said, finally giving up. “Do whatever you want.” He was no longer trying to control the griffin. Now, he was just curious to see where this wild ride would end.

* * * * * * * *

Perse, a third-year student from the Blue Dragon Tower, sighed, his face showing his worry.

A friend noticed and asked, “What’s wrong, Perse?”

“Our attackers are just too slow,” Perse complained.

“Don’t worry,” his friend replied. “They’ll get faster as they get used to it. The horses need time to build up their strength.”

“It’s not just the horses,” Perse said firmly. “It’s the riders too.”

In polo, where players crashed into each other at speed, it wasn’t just about how strong the horse was. It was about the rider’s courage, their skill, their willingness to risk everything. You had to have the guts to push your horse forward, even if enemies were charging at you with mallets…

*Tap tap tap tap!*

“……”

“……”

A gust of wind, so strong it snatched their hats right off their heads, rushed past them.

Something was moving incredibly fast. Even the monsters in the path scrambled out of the way.

“W-what was that?” one student stammered. “Was that… a student? It looked like a student, right?”

“A freshman…” another student said, his voice hushed. “I think it was a freshman. During the freshman exam…”

“That’s it!” Perse exclaimed, his eyes widening with excitement. “That’s exactly what I’m talking about!”

That fearless way of riding, like a madman, not caring about monsters or anything else in the way. *That* was the spirit an attacker needed.

“But he’s a freshman, Perse…” his friend pointed out.

“There’s next year!” Perse said, already making plans. “We can ask him to join next year!”

“What if he’s not interested in the polo club?”

“Don’t worry about that,” Perse said confidently.

“?” His friend looked confused.

“There’s no way someone who rides like *that* wouldn’t be interested in polo!” Perse declared.

* * * * * * * *

Ponegrin finally slowed to a stop.

-Phooheeheeheeheeheeing!!

“Feeling better now?” Lee Han asked, patting his neck.

Ponegrin nodded his horse-head, then shook his mane, sending droplets of sweat flying. He lowered his head towards a small stream, eager to drink.

*‘We really have come a long way,’* Lee Han thought, looking around.

He knew the magic school grounds were huge, but he hadn’t imagined they were *this* huge. They had ridden like crazy along the base of a mountain range, and now…

Lee Han’s eyes widened. Spreading out in front of them, as far as he could see, was a desert. Sand dunes shimmered in the distance under a hot sun.

“…” Lee Han stared, speechless. *A desert? Here? On the school grounds?*

-Phooheeing, Ponegrin neighed softly, as if agreeing that this was indeed a strange place to end up.

Lee Han and Phon Rieg were resting for a moment. Phon Rieg finished drinking his water and said, “Okay, time to go!”

Lee Han called out, “Phon Rieg.”

Phon Rieg made a confused noise, “Huh?”

Lee Han’s voice was serious. “If we are not back on time, I will be very unhappy with you.”

Phon Rieg was silent.

Phon Rieg had been running happily and wildly. But when he heard Lee Han’s cold voice, he stopped and looked around quickly.

Looking around didn’t help Phon Rieg. He didn’t know where they were. He started to sweat. *Can we get back in time?* he thought.

“Let’s go, Phon Rieg,” Lee Han said.

Phon Rieg ran as fast as he could, even faster than before.

Lee Han held on tightly and looked straight ahead.

Lee Han frowned. “…?”

He saw students lying on the side of the road. They were slumped and still.

*What’s going on?* he wondered.

At first, he thought monsters had attacked them. But they didn’t look hurt. They just seemed very, very tired.

They must have just fainted from being too tired, he realized.

*I don’t get it,* he thought.

Lee Han had been pulled along because Phon Rieg wouldn’t listen and ran wild. But these students had no reason like that.

They were just being too greedy, running until they had no energy left.

Lee Han felt sorry for them.

*Well, they will learn from this,* he thought. *Maybe this will teach them a lesson.*

Professor Lightning Gait said, “…Full marks.”

Lee Han replied, “Thank you.”

Professor Lightning Gait looked surprised. “…But why?” he asked.

Giving full marks to the first-place winner was fair. Everyone knew that. Professor Lightning Gait wasn’t going to argue about it.

But the winner had run three times further than everyone else, and even knocked over all the obstacles! That was strange.

Why did he run so hard?

“Five students fainted trying to keep up with you, and three fell off their horses. Luckily, you scared away all the monsters by running so fast. You could have gone slower…”

Professor Lightning Gait paused, then asked, “Did you want to break a record that much?”

Professor Lightning Gait didn’t think Lee Han was the type to show off.

So why did he try so hard to set a record?

Was he so proud of his riding skills that he wanted to become famous?

Lee Han looked at Professor Lightning Gait like he was crazy.

“Isn’t it because of what you said, Professor?” he asked, his voice flat.

*You gave me this Griffin, and now you’re asking why I ran fast?* he thought, annoyed.

*He’s so bold!* Lee Han thought. *Is he so shameless just because he’s a professor?*

Professor Lightning Gait answered back, just as boldly as Lee Han thought.

“Don’t be silly. Griffins don’t like running like that, especially when they are turned into horses. It wouldn’t have run unless you told it to.”

“…?!” Lee Han’s eyes widened in shock.

*No way!* he thought.

*Was Phon Rieg crazy and just wanted to run?*

*Maybe I haven’t let him show what he can do,* Lee Han thought. *Maybe that’s why he acted like that.*

“I think I haven’t paid enough attention to him,” Lee Han said, sounding worried. “He wanted to show how strong he is…”

Professor Lightning Gait looked doubtful as he listened to Lee Han.

He didn’t really believe that a Griffin would run so hard just to show off.

Professor Lightning Gait raised an eyebrow. “…Maybe,” he said, still unsure.

“Okay, I’ll believe you for now,” Professor Lightning Gait said. “You worked hard. Go rest. You have more exams, and you’ve run a long way.”

“Phon Rieg worked harder,” Lee Han said quietly.

He turned and walked back to the starting line. He watched the other students come back, one by one.

The students came back one by one, looking messy and tired. They stared at Lee Han in amazement.

“Did you see that?” one student whispered.

“I saw it,” another replied, his voice full of awe.

“That guy… he could be the best knight in the whole Empire!” a third student exclaimed.

Lee Han just thought, *I need to rest.*

Some students’ muscles hurt badly. They groaned and limped, but the magic school didn’t stop for anyone.

“We need to get bone-flesh flowers tonight,” one student groaned. “If we don’t hurry, we won’t have enough time.”

“My legs are burning!” another student complained.

“I think I broke my hip…” a third student moaned dramatically.

The Blue Dragon Tower students were on the first basement floor before dinner. They leaned heavily on their staffs and groaned in pain.

The White Tiger Tower students stood nearby, laughing at them.

“Making such a big deal about riding a horse?” one White Tiger student sneered. “You must be very weak… Cough…”

“That Wodanaz… why did he ride so crazy?” another muttered, rubbing his own sore leg.

Lee Han ignored them. He spoke loudly so everyone could hear.

“Okay, I know everyone is hurting,” he said. “But now, all the alchemy students need to work together. If we don’t get the materials fast, we might all fail the class.”

The school’s tough schedule meant students from different houses had to help each other, even if they didn’t like it.

Lee Han planned to get everyone together, go into the dungeon quickly, and find the materials they needed.

If he went alone and failed or got injured, it would be bad for him too.

“Okay, everyone, take one,” Lee Han said, holding up a basket.

He gave the basket he brought from the common room to the White Tiger Tower students. They looked confused.

“Is it a magic potion to help us in the dungeon?” one student asked, hopefully.

“No, it’s just a snack for dinner,” Lee Han said, sounding a bit dry.

……” The White Tiger Tower students were silent for a moment, then one of them carefully lifted the cloth from the basket.

Inside, there were neat stacks of sandwiches. They smelled of cheese and bread.

“…Huh?” one student said, surprised. “Sandwiches?”

“What? You don’t want any?” Lee Han asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Wodanaz, don’t give them to anyone who isn’t hungry,” Asan added quickly.

Hearing this, the White Tiger Tower students waved their hands quickly, almost knocking over their staffs.

“No! No! We’ll eat them! We’re hungry!” one student said eagerly. “Thank you, Wodanaz!”

“Okay, let’s go in slowly if you’re ready,” Lee Han said.

He started to line up the students, checking their equipment.

The dungeon entrance was narrow and uneven. It was too hard to walk in a big group.

So, they had to stay with their own tower groups and work together. It was the only way.

*It’s faster if they move on their own instead of me telling everyone what to do,* he thought. *Less trouble for me too.*

The Princess was very curious about the sandwiches. She peeked at the basket and tried to lift the cloth to see inside.

Lee Han gently tapped her hand to stop her.

“You have to eat them later,” he said firmly.

*Royals are always greedy, just like Gainando,* he thought, rolling his eyes slightly.

Lee Han warned her with a look and turned to the others.

“…?!” The Princess looked at Lee Han, her eyes wide with surprise and a little sadness.

But Lee Han was too busy checking the students and their gear to notice her face.

“If there’s trouble,” Lee Han instructed, “stay in your groups and fight together. If it’s too dangerous, send a signal and get out of there. Understand?”

“Don’t worry, Wodanaz. We are knights!” the White Tiger Tower students said proudly.

They held the basket of sandwiches carefully, like it was a treasure.

*Thump-* Heavy footsteps echoed from the dungeon stairs.

While they were doing a last check on the first basement floor, someone came up the stairs from the darkness below.

It was Professor Voladi. He stood at the top of the stairs, looking down at them with a strange smile.

“…Having a picnic on the basement floor, are we?” Professor Voladi asked, his voice dripping with sarcasm. “Fun, isn’t it? Should we just go home now?”

One of the Blue Dragon Tower students, still leaning on his staff, looked up at Professor Voladi and muttered, “What nonsense are you talking about, Wodanaz?”