Surviving As A Mage In A Magic Academy [EN]: Chapter 20

Lee Han watched the Imperial nobles. He had almost forgotten how much they loved to show off, especially after spending time with the more modest Wodanaz family. These nobles thought it was important to have big, fancy meals, even if they didn’t have much money! Lee Han sighed to himself.

“All this showing off is just silly.”

“Excellent! We have two students from the Blue Dragon Tower who know the answer!”

‘Huh?’ Lee Han turned his head. The Princess was raising her hand, and she was looking right at him.

Her blue eyes were like ice, staring coldly.

‘What’s wrong?’ Lee Han wondered, confused.

Lee Han knew it wasn’t good to be disliked by the Princess. She was famous and talented in the Blue Dragon Tower. He couldn’t think of why she would dislike him.

He had been nice to her! They had even hunted a wild boar together, and he had suggested lectures that would help her studies.

‘I was even hoping to ask her for help with homework later,’ he thought. ‘Why is she acting like this? Is it because I spend time with Gainan?’

*Tap tap-*

Asan Dalkard quietly touched his arm.

“Wodanaz,” Asan whispered. “It seems the Princess has heard some strange rumors about you.”

“Rumors?” Lee Han asked.

“Yes, rumors that you are trying to be lazy and not study magic. It’s completely untrue!” Asan looked angry, as if someone had insulted him.

Asan was sure Lee Han from the Wodanaz family would never be lazy. But Lee Han was shocked.

‘Wait, that’s right! How did they guess?’ He felt a cold shiver. Someone knew his secret plan!

But Lee Han wasn’t ashamed. It was true, after all.

Asan, however, was still very angry about the silly rumors.

“I can’t believe the Princess would believe such things! The person who started these rumors is terrible, but for her to believe them…”

“Well…” Lee Han said slowly, “she might be right?”

Asan stared at him, completely stunned.

*Wodanaz… how can you be so humble!* Asan thought. He knew many nobles from the Blue Dragon Tower, but none were as truly noble as Wodanaz.

Asan understood now why his family wanted him to become friends with Wodanaz.

“You are truly incredible, Wodanaz!” Asan exclaimed.

Lee Han blinked, confused.

‘Did Asan eat something strange?’ he wondered.

* * * * * * * * *

“Light, be!”

“Shine forth!” Words of magic filled the air. Suddenly, light burst from the tips of Lee Han and the Princess’s wands.

A ball of soft, glowing light floated from each wand, like a gentle lantern in the dim classroom. But while the Princess’s light was a cool, clear blue, Lee Han’s was a bright, warm gold, like a tiny, blazing sun.

Professor Garcia clapped, smiling widely.

“Excellent! It’s not often students master light magic so quickly in their first week. I am very happy to see such talent. But remember,” she added, “light magic is just the first step. It’s the simplest magic, the very beginning of your magical journey. Being fast now doesn’t mean you’ll always be ahead.”

‘Easy for her to say,’ Lee Han thought to himself, not really believing her words.

Professor Garcia explained that light magic was just a basic skill. She compared it to learning addition in math – being good at adding didn’t mean you’d be good at everything else. But the students, filled with excitement and wanting to be the best, didn’t really listen. Each one was thinking, ‘I’ll be the first to master everything!’

Professor Garcia smiled, knowing their eagerness.

“The reason we started with light magic,” she said, “is because it helps you understand the basics of elemental magic. And that’s what we’ll be learning this semester: elemental magic!”

“!” The students sat up straighter, their eyes wide with interest.

Elemental magic! This was magic based on the elements – like fire, water, earth, and wind. Some elements were easier to control, like fire and water. Others, like darkness or plants, were much harder. But elemental magic was the base for almost all other magic.

If you wanted to call a fire spirit, you needed to know fire magic. If you wanted to make a magical object with fire power, you needed fire magic. Even simple things, like making a fire to cook food or getting clean water while traveling, could make a magician respected and valuable.

Elemental magic was the first important step for all new magicians. It was easy to learn at first, but it could be used in so many ways. It was like learning to add and subtract before you could do harder math.

“Today,” Professor Garcia announced, “you will practice light magic again. But you will also try some basic elemental magic. Everyone has an element that they are naturally good at. Finding your element is very important.”

The students whispered excitedly. Magicians didn’t need to learn every kind of magic. It was better to find the magic they liked and were good at, and focus on that. That’s why Professor Garcia wasn’t worried about them mastering light magic perfectly right away.

“Now,” Professor Garcia said, tapping her large staff on the floor. *Tap!* Suddenly, small candles appeared in front of each student, and flames flickered to life on each one.

“The magic is similar to making light,” she explained. “But this time, you are making fire. Be careful! Fire can burn you, unlike light.”

*Gulp.* Some students swallowed nervously.

“Feel the magic in your heart,” Professor Garcia said, raising her staff. “And say… Burn!” A bright ball of fire appeared above her staff, dancing and crackling. It was magic fire, burning without wood or oil.

“Now, your turn. Don’t be scared. I’m here to help.”

“Burn!” a student called out.

“Sizzle…”

“Whoosh!” Around the room, students focused hard, trying to picture fire in their minds. Some clever students held their hands near the candle flames, or stared at the flickering light, to help them imagine fire.

They used their magician’s mind to create a picture of fire. They pulled magic power from inside themselves and spoke the spell, wanting fire to appear with all their will!

Lee Han also focused, determined to learn fire magic properly this time. He wouldn’t let anyone else’s tricks help him this time. He would master fire himself.

“Wait, just a moment!” Professor Garcia called out. Lee Han stopped, turning to look at the professor with a confused face. “Lee Han,” Professor Garcia said, “please don’t practice fire magic right now.”

Lee Han blinked, even more confused.

Lee Han looked down. He realized there was no candle in front of him like the other students. Instead, in a small copper bowl, the water shimmered softly.

“Why?” Lee Han asked.

“Because fire magic can be dangerous,” Professor Garcia explained.

Lee Han went quiet for a moment, thinking. He remembered when he tried the Lumos spell. The light had burst out of control many times. It only made his eyes hurt a little. But fire… fire was different. *Flames exploding would be much worse.* He imagined fire bursting out. *People could get really hurt.*

Lee Han nodded slowly. He understood. He couldn’t argue with that.

“It’s best to practice fire later, when you have more control and understand magic better,” Professor Garcia said kindly.

“Understood,” Lee Han replied.

“For now, try the Aguamenti spell. Water magic. It’s not dangerous, even if you make mistakes.”

Water. Like fire, it was a basic element. Everyone could easily picture water, even if things like metal or lightning were harder to imagine. Water was easy, something everyone knew. And it wasn’t dangerous like fire if you messed up.

But… Lee Han thought, *water is a bit… boring.* He thought about water magic. It just wasn’t as exciting as fire. *Well, it’s also not very useful for fighting,* he admitted to himself. Fire and lightning were much better for attack. Earth and metal were better for defense. The only good thing he could think of was making drinking water when you were traveling. *That’s not a very exciting power,* he thought.

Lee Han dreamed of becoming an Imperial magician, a job where he could relax and enjoy life. Survival skills like making water just didn’t seem very important for that.

He sighed quietly. He couldn’t risk setting everything on fire just to practice.

“Aguamenti!” he said, trying the water spell.

“Wodanaz,” a voice called out. Asan, practicing nearby, grinned at him. “I’m so jealous! Getting special lessons from the professor!” Asan said, sounding very envious.

Lee Han rolled his eyes to himself. *Special lessons? This doesn’t feel special.* He just wanted to learn fire magic like everyone else. Why was he stuck with water, this… not-very-exciting magic?

“Aguamenti!”

“Aguamenti!” *Splash!* On his third try, something amazing happened. A ball of water appeared in the air! Lee Han’s eyes widened. It wasn’t just a little drop. It was a ball of water, as big as his fist! Lee Han stared, shocked. Professor Garcia gasped, also surprised. Even though Lee Han had done well with the Lumos spell, to do water magic so quickly… it was rare to see someone learn this fast. And not just a drop of water, but a whole ball! *He must be really good at water magic,* Professor Garcia thought, amazed.

“Everyone, look!” Professor Garcia called out, clapping his hands. “Lee Han has done it! He’s made water magic!”

“Wow!” shouted students from Blue Dragon Tower, their faces bright with excitement.

“Amazing!”

“Of course, it’s Wodanaz!” The students from White Tiger Tower watched quietly, some with tight lips and angry eyes. *Clap, clap, clap-* Professor Garcia clapped loudly, smiling.

“Lee Han is doing wonderfully!” Professor Garcia said. “Try to learn from him, everyone. But don’t worry if you’re not as fast. Everyone is good at different elements. If you find the element that’s right for you, you’ll learn quickly. Think about it – students from hot, volcanic places or who worked in blacksmith shops are often good at fire. Students from near rivers or oceans are often good at water. People from open, windy places are often good at wind. The more you know about an element, the easier it is to imagine it and control it.”

Lee Han frowned slightly, listening to the professor. *But I’m not from a river or the sea,* he thought. The only time he’d been near water recently was when the professor tricked him! *Maybe I’m just naturally good at water magic?* It wasn’t bad, but… *I wish I was good at something cooler, like lightning or ice,* he thought. Water was good, but it wasn’t *special*. Suddenly, he felt someone looking at him. He turned his head quickly. The princess quickly looked away, pretending she hadn’t been watching him. But Lee Han had seen her. She *had* been staring. *Why?* he wondered.

Lost in his thoughts, Lee Han didn’t focus on the water anymore. The ball of water wobbled, then burst, splashing onto the floor with a *splatter*.

Professor Garcia nodded. “Okay, Lee Han,” he said. “Now, your next job is to keep the water in shape. Hold it steady after you make it.”

“Understood, Professor,” Lee Han replied. Now that he knew how to make the water, it was easier to focus and try to keep it together. He answered without really thinking about it.

Then, a question popped into Lee Han’s head. “Professor,” he asked, “how long do I have to keep it in shape?”

“Ah,” Professor Garcia started to say, “you don’t need to worry about that. Your magic will probably run out before you can hold it for too long…” He stopped, thinking. Usually, new students used up all their magic quickly. But Lee Han was different. He seemed to have a huge amount of magic. Professor Garcia nodded, realizing. “Actually,” he said, smiling slightly, “it looks like you can probably hold it until the end of class!”

Lee Han blinked, not sure he’d heard right. “…Huh?” he said. *Wait… is that a punishment?*