Surviving As A Mage In A Magic Academy [EN]: Chapter 197

Lee Han dusted off his hands and looked around.

He was checking for the Skull Headmaster or any of his summoned creatures.

“Or not?”

At first, Lee Han thought the Skull Headmaster did it. But then he thought more about it. The Skull Headmaster probably wouldn’t do something so complicated.

“Then who?”

It had to be someone who knew Lee Han went to the strange dimension with Professor Mortuum. Someone who wanted to send him back there to cause trouble.

Was there anyone besides the Skull Headmaster who would do that?

“No. Let’s not waste time worrying about something I can’t answer right now.”

Lee Han shook his head to clear his thoughts and started walking.

This was infuriating for the fourth-year students who were watching.

“Why is he ignoring us? Is the spelling wrong?!”

“Would we make a spelling mistake? It’s not like we’ve never sent a letter before. We sent it with proper formality, didn’t we?”

“This… this is strange?”

Kohalti and his friends couldn’t understand it.

When they were freshmen, their stomachs always hurt from hunger. They remembered nights shivering in the cold, dreaming of food.

Actually, things didn’t seem that different now, but they were desperate to find something to eat.

They’d test the toxicity of suspicious-looking mushrooms on themselves, enter corridors that anyone could tell they shouldn’t, and search for the rumored forest outside the school…

When they knew nothing about the school and were filled with desperation, they would have gone even if a letter said, ‘Dangerous journey, many risks, no guarantee of safe return,’ thinking, ‘But there might be something there.’

But why wasn’t this freshman?

“We even wrote down the reward properly, so why is he ignoring us?”

“Is it because of the Headmaster? Did the Headmaster threaten him?”

While they were worrying, the freshman had already walked far away.

Lee Han walked away, but a small part of him wondered what the letter was about. Still, he had more important things to think about.

Kohalti and his friends could only stare at the freshman with bewildered eyes.

Do you have some kind of complaint against me?

“Of course not.”

Morning.

The Skull Headmaster floated into the classroom. It was a large room with stone walls and rows of wooden desks, now freezing cold.

The Skull Headmaster sensed something suspicious in Lee Han’s eyes.

No matter how he thought about it, it had to be the Skull Headmaster. The Headmaster always seemed to be playing games, and Lee Han never trusted him.

The Skull Headmaster felt uneasy.

The Skull Headmaster thought Lee Han was very talented, even though he called all the students ‘blockheads’.

He was displeased that all he did with that remarkable talent was ‘help friends, stop the Headmaster’s excellent plans’…

In any case, he had to be careful of such a capable freshman. He never knew when he might stab the Skull Headmaster in the back.

“H… Headmaster!”

“Why?”

“C… Can we close the window?”

One of the students said, teeth chattering from the cold. His lips were already turning blue.

Originally, the main building’s classrooms were less cold than the outside, even without heating.

Basically, just closing the windows and avoiding the cold wind made it feel much less cold.

The cold morning air rushed in fiercely, slapping the students’ cheeks. It felt like ice needles on their skin.

Do as you wish.

“Th… Thank you!”

The student, who hadn’t expected the Skull Headmaster to allow it, happily ran towards the window.

Lee Han sensed something ominous.

“Could it be?”

“Huh? Huh?”

The student who ran over was horrified.

The student reached for the window latch, but his hand closed on empty air. He looked again. The window was gone! Just a cold, empty space.

Why aren’t you closing it?

“…There are no… windows…”

“Oh dear!” the Skull Headmaster said, but a tiny smile played at the corner of his lips.

At the Skull Headmaster’s hypocritical words, the students, wrapped in thick coats and leather, glared at him.

Even the most foolish student in the classroom knew who had removed the windows.

Today’s lecture topic will be the wisdom of wizards in cleverly dealing with such unexpected situations.

Now. Stop shivering and think. Wizards with twisted personalities often act foolishly when faced with such crises. They don’t try to work together to endure it.

“Isn’t that a good thing?”

The Skull Headmaster blinked. Gaynando’s voice was immediately sealed.

Wizards with good personalities aren’t fooled by such nonsense and wisely solve the problem by finding its cause. When you face a crisis or unexpected situation, don’t do the foolish thing of trying to endure it by working together. That’s as good as giving up.

Besides Gaynando, several other students questioned the Skull Headmaster’s novel theory.

“But… Headmaster? Wouldn’t it be better if we all worked together and thought about it?”

“It seems like it would be better to come up with wisdom together.”

Don’t talk nonsense. Do you think banging a bunch of blockheads together will produce gold? Wisdom comes from desperation. Gathering together and talking only makes you complacent. Later, you’ll realize you’re scratching, stabbing, and biting each other. You should have worried alone from the start.

The students were stunned by the Skull Headmaster’s blatant cursing.

“Isn’t that too much?”

Meanwhile, Gaynando gestured for the students who had just spoken to have their voices sealed as well. Lee Han thought to himself.

‘He’s taken the lesson very well.’

Now. So. Now, now, look at you, ‘teamwork’ blockhead. Go on, try your precious ‘cooperation’ to block that window. Let’s see how well that works out for you.

“…!”

The White Tiger Tower student, singled out by the Skull Headmaster for saying a few words, was flustered.

“Uh… uh…”

“Don’t worry, Gatono. We’ll help you.”

The White Tiger Tower students resolutely stood up to help their friend.

They intended to rescue their friend from the clutches of the evil Skull Headmaster, who knew nothing of knightly honor or friendship.

The White Tiger Tower students began hanging the leather they had brought on the empty window.

Even though it was incomplete, the thick leathers with cold resistance magic could block the wind if layered several times.

The other tower students watched the work with slightly admiring expressions.

If you cover the window with leather like that…

Suddenly, a giant undead raptor flew in from outside the window. Its eyes glowed with a cold light, and its bony claws snatched the leather.

The Skull Headmaster said with a blank face.

“Oh dear. An unexpected accident occurred. You should have blocked it with magic. Not with such a foolish method.”

Was this going to turn into a bloodbath?

Ethan glanced at the White Tiger Tower students. They looked so angry, it seemed like they could kill someone with just a look.

A chill filled the air, and Ethan’s friends looked worried. He raised his hand and stepped forward, ready to protect them.

I’ve learned cold magic. I can freeze their attacks and block them.

One of the White Tiger students shouted, “I’ll…” He pointed at Ethan. “You go and do this task for us.”

Ethan was surprised. “Isn’t that too much to ask?”

Another student yelled, “You have to let Wardanaz go free!”

Before Ethan could answer, the other White Tiger Tower students started shouting angrily.

Ethan thought, ‘Am I just being used by them?’

I don’t know what you’re talking about, Ethan said. Wardanaz, hurry up and leave.

Go to the Spire Keeper and get the ‘Globe of the Frozen Winter.’ (Map on the back)

Not bad.

It wasn’t just that Ethan was happy to miss the Skull Headmaster’s boring lessons.

Finding secret paths in the school that even he didn’t know was fun enough!

Creak!

As the letter from the Skull Headmaster moved the walls of the school and showed hidden stairs, Ethan looked at it, thinking about his options.

If I could copy it and replace it with a fake… no, too risky.

After quickly thinking about it, Ethan sadly decided not to do it. The risk of copying the letter was too great.

But who is the Spire Keeper? Could it be…?

Ethan knew many people who worked for the Skull Headmaster, like the storekeeper he had met before.

Even though the storekeeper’s eyes were bandaged, he noticed things that others missed. He was very observant.

Of course, he had mistaken Ethan for the Skull Headmaster, but anyone could make that mistake. Overall, the storekeeper was a capable person.

If the Spire Keeper was also one of the Skull Headmaster’s helpers, they would be strong.

Normally, Ethan would just do the task and not fight them…

The problem is, I’m trying to break into the Spire.

Ethan’s real plan was to sneak into the Spire stables – where magical creatures were kept. Hearing about the ‘Spire Keeper’ made him nervous. Could this Spire Keeper be guarding the stables? he wondered.

Ethan took a deep breath.

No, this is a good chance.

It was lucky that he was finding out about the Spire Keeper now. He could get ready in advance.

I’ll face them directly and learn about them!

Thud-

Ethan followed the letter’s instructions. He climbed up winding spiral staircases that made him dizzy. Then, he stepped into old, creaky elevators that moved slowly upwards. Each time a secret door opened in the wall, he felt like he was going deeper into a hidden part of the school.

Ethan glanced out the window. Far below, he could see the school grounds looking small, like a toy set.

Tap!

The Spire Keeper stood in front of him.

He held a strange staff and his mouth was covered in bandages. The Spire Keeper blinked and stared at Ethan.

Even without doing anything, the air felt tense. Ethan quickly took out the letter.

Here it is.

…

The Spire Keeper looked at the letter and nodded. Then, he showed Ethan to follow him.

My name is Ethan.

…

The Spire Keeper didn’t answer Ethan’s greeting.

Ethan was used to quiet friends, like the Princess. But the Spire Keeper was even quieter. He didn’t say anything at all.

This was hard for Ethan, who was trying to get as much information as possible.

The storekeeper would have been better.

Only silence.

Without giving Ethan a chance to speak, the Spire Keeper walked down the corridor and opened a door to a room.

The room was filled with strange things. Dusty books were piled high, next to broken statues and glowing crystals. The air smelled old and musty.

Ethan knew where he was.

One of the Headmaster’s secret rooms!

The Skull Headmaster had hidden secret rooms all over the school, like secret hiding places. These rooms were his private warehouses.

Sometimes students tried to find these rooms, and sometimes they disappeared because of accidents, but most of them were still there and used by the Skull Headmaster when he needed them.

Oooooong-

What’s that?

Ethan stopped, hearing a scary vibration.

But the Spire Keeper walked through the messy room as if nothing was happening.

Is it nothing?

Oooooong-

The vibration got louder and louder. Ethan started to worry.

Does this usually happen when someone new comes in?

Tap!

The Spire Keeper quickly swung his staff and put a shield around Ethan.

At the same time, a sword suddenly flew out from the junk. It pulsed with a dark red light, and Ethan felt a wave of cold fear wash over him. The air around the sword seemed to shimmer with a dangerous energy.

Wham!!!

!

Ethan jumped back, startled by the crash that shook the shield.

Is the Headmaster really mad? Even for a simple task, putting such a dangerous artifact here was too much!

Even if Ethan had messed up the Skull Headmaster’s plans a few times, was this too much?

…

The Spire Keeper looked serious.

This sword was a magical artifact that should only move if a strong enemy came and disturbed it.

But it had suddenly come to life… It made no sense.

The Spire Keeper waved his staff to bend space and create another shield.

Even if it didn’t make sense, he had to fix the problem quickly.

But the sword was fast.

It flew quickly before the space could be bent, broke through the shield, and hit the Spire Keeper.

The Spire Keeper frowned and waved his staff again.

Since this was happening, he decided to leave.

!

Ethan was shocked to see the Spire Keeper get hit by a chain from behind and fall down.

If this happens…

Sharkan, come forth!

Ethan gathered his magic.

He didn’t know what that crazy artifact was thinking, but he wasn’t going to lose easily.

Even if it meant destroying the warehouse, he would survive!