Surviving As A Mage In A Magic Academy [EN]: Chapter 213

The carriage sped along, so fast it felt like no time at all had passed. Trees blurred into streaks of green and brown outside the window, and the wind whistled past. Then, through the swirling snow, Lee Han saw the familiar gates of the magic school. A warm feeling spread through his chest, like coming home after a long trip. But then, a sudden shiver ran down his spine, a cold prickle of unease.

Lee Han frowned. He had learned to be wary of sudden changes in his feelings, especially after…

“The snow has melted a lot,” the Skull Headmaster said, his voice tinged with a quiet regret. “Far too quickly.”

Blast it, Lee Han thought, clenching his jaw. Outwardly, he said, “It did melt faster than expected, Headmaster.”

“Indeed,” the Skull Headmaster sighed. “I had hoped it would last longer. Perhaps there was no need to rush its… resolution.” He trailed off, looking thoughtful.

Lee Han just nodded, offering a noncommittal, “I’ll be more careful in the future,” and quickly stepped out of the carriage.

This wasn’t the first time the Skull Headmaster had said something strange about the weather, and Lee Han had learned to simply ignore it.

He saw priests here and there. Lee Han put on a welcoming expression to meet the priests without losing the rest of Sunday. This alone was lucky.

“You must have suffered a great deal,” one of the priests said, his brow furrowed with concern. He was a priest of the Order of Aphah, dedicated to fire magic, like the others around him.

“Imagine,” another priest added, shaking his head, “students nearly freezing while we were away. Heartbreaking!”

Lee Han shrugged. “It wasn’t all bad. The cold actually made fire element training a bit easier.”

The priests chuckled, exchanging amused glances. “Lee Han of the Wodanaz family,” one of them smiled, “always finding the bright side, aren’t you?”

“With that attitude,” another priest patted him on the shoulder, “you’ll overcome anything.”

Lee Han adjusted the fire absorption ring on his finger, a band of dark metal that felt faintly warm to the touch. He also wore bracelets and a necklace, all designed to help him control fire magic. Noticing their smiles, and feeling the weight of the fire absorption rings, bracelets, and necklace he wore, Lee Han paused. “Wait,” he said, a little surprised. “You thought I was joking?”

The first priest clapped his hands together. “Right then! Back to fire training, shall we?”

Inside the tent, delicate paper birds, folded with intricate detail and enchanted to fly, fluttered into the air. These weren’t just ordinary paper; they shimmered with a faint golden light. The next stage of fire training was hitting these moving targets. For Lee Han, aiming wasn’t the problem. He could manipulate earth and water with incredible precision. The challenge with fire was different. He had too much raw magical power, making it difficult to control the intensity of the flames. If he wasn’t careful, the fire would surge and explode. Other fire mages poured magic into the flames to create and sustain them. Lee Han had to do the opposite – carefully limit his power to keep the fire from becoming a raging inferno. It felt unfair, like trying to hold back a flood with your bare hands.

Whoosh! Despite the difficulty, small, controlled flames, like fiery snakes, darted from Lee Han’s fingertips and struck the paper birds with pinpoint accuracy. The priests’ faces lit up. The flames were much steadier than before. Even considering the numerous fire absorption items Lee Han wore – rings, bracelets, necklaces – it was a significant improvement.

“Excellent!” one priest exclaimed. “You’ve improved tremendously!”

“Is that so?” Lee Han replied, but a hint of disappointment still lingered in his voice. The priests, with their years of experience, noticed it immediately.

“Is something troubling you, Lee Han?” a priest asked kindly. “Please, tell us. We are here to help.”

“Well,” Lee Han began, hesitating slightly, “it’s just… fire magic feels a bit… limited.” He searched for the right words. “Water and earth, they can do so many things – attack, defend, even build things. But fire… it feels mostly about destruction.”

He continued, “When I try to control the flames, to make them precise, they seem to lose their power. The other day, when I fought that monster…”

“It’s a common feeling, Lee Han,” one of the priests reassured him. “It’s a stage many fire mages go through. Fire magic can be easily blocked if your opponent is ready for it. It can be frustrating. But keep training, and your magic will grow. What kind of monster did you face that made you feel this lack of power?”

The priests leaned forward, ready to offer advice on monster weaknesses.

“It was… the Frost Giant King,” Lee Han said quietly.

A stunned silence fell over the tent. Then, one priest choked, “The… Frost Giant King? You faced the Frost Giant King?”

“Yes,” Lee Han confirmed, a little embarrassed by their reaction.

Another priest gasped. “That’s not a problem with fire magic, Lee Han! That’s because you fought something incredibly powerful!” They exchanged horrified glances. What circle of magic would you need to even scratch a Frost Giant King with fire?

“Wait,” a priest said, his voice sharp. “Why were you fighting the Frost Giant King in the first place?” He frowned. “You’re a first year, aren’t you?”

“Yes,” Lee Han said, confused.

“Then you should be nowhere near a Frost Giant King!” the priest exclaimed. “There’s no reason for a first year to encounter such a creature!”

“I was helping some upperclassmen,” Lee Han explained. “We just… ran into it.”

“What year were these ‘upperclassmen’?” a priest asked, his voice dangerously calm.

“Pardon?” Lee Han blinked.

“Their year!” the priest repeated, louder this time.

“Fourth year, I think,” Lee Han mumbled.

The priests erupted in mutters. Lee Han distinctly heard the words “trash,” “cowards,” and “irresponsible.”

“But,” Lee Han quickly interjected, trying to defend the older students, “it wasn’t all bad! My fire magic has really improved since then!”

The priests were not swayed. “Lee Han,” one said sternly, “going into a dragon’s lair and surviving might make you stronger, but it doesn’t mean it’s a good idea! Stay away from those fourth years. They are clearly terrible influences.”

“I understand,” Lee Han said, nodding seriously. The priests were clearly very upset. Trying to defend the upperclassmen would only make them sound even worse.

“Increase the speed of the birds,” one priest instructed.

“Yes, Priest,” another replied, adjusting the controls. The paper birds darted faster, weaving and diving through the air. Lee Han narrowed his eyes, focusing intently. A small flame, no bigger than his index finger, shot out, a streak of orange against the tent’s canvas. It twisted and turned, chasing after a paper bird with surprising speed.

The priests watched, their stern expressions softening into pleased smiles. They still couldn’t believe those fourth years had dragged a freshman into a fight with a Frost Giant King, but… seeing Lee Han’s rapid progress, perhaps the terrifying experience had, in a strange way, been beneficial.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! The flames became faster, more numerous. Then, a flicker of unease crossed the priests’ faces. They had been steadily increasing the birds’ speed, expecting Lee Han to struggle to keep up. But now… the flames weren’t just keeping up; they were faster. Lee Han wasn’t carefully aiming anymore; he was simply unleashing bursts of fire that exploded near the birds, obliterating them in mid-air. The flames were moving faster than the enchanted paper birds.

“Increase the speed again!” the first priest urged, his eyes wide with disbelief.

The paper birds became blurs, flying as if their paper lives depended on it. Lee Han, lost in concentration, didn’t notice the priests’ hushed conversation. He just focused on controlling the incredible speed of the flames. They moved with a speed he hadn’t thought possible, almost like lightning.

Fast! he thought, a thrill running through him.

The priests, who had witnessed countless fire magic demonstrations, were speechless. Flames moving at this speed, controlled by a novice? Impossible.

Wait… the magic power! one priest realized, his eyes widening. Lee Han’s uncontrolled magic, usually a hindrance, was actually the source of this incredible speed. They had never seen anything like it. Of course, they had also never seen a student with so much raw, untamed magic.

“Meeting the Frost Giant King seems to have really pushed him,” one priest whispered, awestruck.

“Even if that’s true,” another hissed back, “don’t say it out loud! We’ll be in trouble if anyone hears us suggesting that facing a Frost Giant King is good training!”

“Right, right,” the first priest mumbled, looking around nervously. “My mistake.”

Lee Han, finally lowering his hands and releasing his concentration, overheard the last part of their conversation. Leave out the upperclassmen next time, he thought to himself. This is sounding even stranger than I realized.

Monday morning. Professor Garcia practically bounced into the lecture hall, his face beaming like the sun. He radiated such cheerful energy that even Lee Han felt a flicker of anticipation.

What could have happened? Lee Han wondered. Mondays were usually dreadful, especially at magic school. Every Monday seemed to bring a new disaster: a rogue summoned monster, a bizarre trap set by the Skull Headmaster, a sudden, unnatural cold snap, or sometimes, just the Skull Headmaster himself, in a particularly bad mood. But Professor Garcia’s happiness was infectious. Could this Monday, just maybe, be… peaceful?

“Professor,” Lee Han asked, unable to contain his curiosity, “is there something good going on?”

“Good going on?” Professor Garcia repeated, his voice bubbling with excitement. “Excellent question! Last night, after months of trying, I finally captured the creature that’s been lurking in the depths of the library! A mis-summoned Grimoire Guardian, it was. Causing chaos and disturbing the students’ studies for far too long! But no more! The library is safe once again!”

“Oh… is that so?” Lee Han said, trying to sound enthusiastic. Around him, the other freshmen exchanged blank looks. None of them had dared to venture deep into the library. Einroguard itself was confusing enough, but the library was legendary – a shifting labyrinth of books and shelves. No one knew how the books were organized, and the library seemed to rearrange itself every night. Freshmen, being sensible, stuck to the entrance, grabbing whatever books were within easy reach and avoiding the treacherous depths.

“Congratu… congratulations,” Lee Han mumbled, followed by a chorus of equally unenthusiastic “congratulations” from the other students. Professor Garcia, oblivious to their lack of genuine excitement, beamed even wider.

“This means,” he announced proudly, “that all professors can now access the full library without fear! We can finally assign readings from the more… specialized sections!”

Lee Han, who had been half-listening, suddenly froze. A cold dread washed over him. Specialized sections?

“Um, Professor?” he asked hesitantly.

“Yes, Lee Han?”

“Were… were the lectures so far… less reliant on library books? Were you… being considerate of us?”

Professor Garcia chuckled. “Perhaps there was a little of that, yes.”

“Then,” Lee Han said slowly, his voice sinking, “is there a high chance that future lectures will involve… significantly more library research?”

“Probably?” Professor Garcia said, still smiling brightly.

Silence descended upon the lecture hall. The freshmen stared at each other, realization dawning on their faces. From the back of the room, Gainan Dou whispered to no one in particular, “I wonder if setting the library on fire would close it down for a while?”