Surviving As A Mage In A Magic Academy [EN]: Chapter 245

As they emerged from the giant’s cave, the morning star was already rising in the dark night sky.

Lee Han muttered bitterly,

“I need to do my homework, but I’ve wasted my time on useless things.”

Giselle felt a shiver. Wodanaz was a little crazy. How could he worry about homework now?

Did one have to be this insane to hold the top spot at the magic school?

Lee Han noticed Giselle’s gaze and replied, “Why are you looking at me like that? I’m fine.”

He had stayed up all night doing the enchantment magic assignment, but he had recovered somewhat thanks to getting some sleep.

Magic students often stay up all night. They need strong willpower. Lee Han was very good at this.

“Yes… I can see you’re perfectly fine,” Giselle said.

“Thank you for your concern.”

The shield that was spinning around Lee Han flew towards Giselle.

Giselle said irritably, “…Could you get rid of the shield?”

Lee Han replied, “Ah, sorry. I needed to check the duration.”

Giselle gave up and shook her head. So, even while wandering around the mountains, being attacked by giant lizards, and fighting a giant, he was still worrying about his magic assignment.

‘He’s like a magic-crazed maniac…’

They heard the shouts of the White Tiger Tower students along with the flickering torches in the distance.

It seemed they were still searching the area.

“Here!”

“Wodanaz!”

The White Tiger Tower students rushed over. They looked dusty, with wild grasses stuck to them, showing they had been searching for quite a while.

Durghyu sighed in relief and said, “Thank goodness. Everyone was so worried that they were out looking for you.”

Lee Han replied, “Thanks.”

Durghyu said, “What thanks? Look at all you two have done for us.”

Lee Han and Giselle groaned simultaneously.

The truth was, they had tried to escape by using their other friends as bait…

“It was only natural for a nobleman to do,” Durghyu said.

“It was only natural for a knight to do,” another student added.

The White Tiger Tower students exclaimed in unison, “Indeed…!”

Moradi aside, Wodanaz certainly had the qualities of a leader when you looked at him in situations like this.

Of course, he was a mean wizard who would control them with bad magic if things went awry, but they had to admit what they had to admit.

When everyone was calmer, Giselle looked at her friends and asked, “Wait a minute. How many of you came out here like this?”

Just by looking around, it seemed like not only the group from before but even other friends had come out.

One student said, “Ah, they said they wanted to help. Good job, right?”

Giselle suppressed the words that were bubbling up inside her. “…Yes. Thank you. Everyone.”

Lee Han pointed with his finger as he looked at the torches running towards them in the distance. “I think there are more over there.”

It seemed that all the White Tiger Tower students had participated in the search. It was truly a heartwarming display of friendship.

One student said, “They’re all so kind.”

Giselle replied, “Shut up…”

Back at the tower, Lee Han looked at his friends with a look of disdain. The Blue Dragon Tower students were fiercely betting on how long the spinning shield would last.

It had already been over a day, and now his friends’ concern was whether it would break the two-day mark or not.

Gainando was shaking the book, denying reality. “No… no way…! I saw it in a book that it can’t last a day without separate maintenance!”

He had studied so hard, but his knowledge had betrayed him.

Gainando exclaimed, “Studying is pointless! Books are useless! They don’t help with anything!”

Lee Han warned, “Don’t talk nonsense and sit down.”

Gainando sat down again. “You’d better finish the Basic Imperial Geometry and Arithmetic assignment today. There are a lot of other pre-finals assignments. What we have to do now is Professor Milley’s assignment and…”

Gainando was genuinely upset and aggrieved as he listed the assignments. “What… what did I do wrong to make you torment me like this?”

Lee Han ignored him and continued, “What other assignments are there?”

Gainando replied, “In Basic Music, we have to write a song…”

‘There’s all sorts of assignments,’ Lee Han thought. He didn’t take Basic Music because it wasn’t required.

However, Basic Music was a very popular class in the Blue Dragon Tower. For those from great noble families, subjects such as music, dance, art, and literature had a greater value than one might think.

Of course, it was a class that was less valuable to Lee Han than Professor Voladi’s lectures…

Asan, who was passing by, opened his mouth. “I’ve mostly finished mine.”

Gainando was surprised at those words. “Already? How?”

Asan replied, “Hehe. Why should I tell you?”

Gainando asked, “Can you let me hear it? I’m curious.”

Asan said, “If Wodanaz asks…”

Gainando growled, “Hey…” but Asan ignored him as if he hadn’t heard.

A friend who gives you snacks every day and a friend who tries to steal snacks every day are bound to be treated differently.

Asan sang, “Einrogard. Einrogard. It’s so good.”

Lee Han and Gainando’s expressions twisted.

Asan continued, “A place with warm meals and fluffy beds. Einrogard.”

Lee Han asked, “Is it okay to spread false rumors?”

Asan explained, “I can’t exactly badmouth Einrogard in front of the professor, can I?”

Lee Han understood Asan’s feelings. Sometimes, grades are more important than the truth, aren’t they?

Gainando exclaimed, “Do I have to make such a ridiculous song?! If that’s the case, I’ll make one up as I please!”

Lee Han asked, “What are you going to make?”

Gainando started, “There once was a noble prince…”

Lee Han interrupted, “Knock it off. That doesn’t sound right.”

Gainando protested, “Listen and then speak!”

Neblen of the Kirak family interrupted, hearing the three’s conversation. “Is everyone doing their Basic Music assignment?”

‘Is everyone except me taking Basic Music?’ Lee Han thought.

Neblen was one of the students in the Blue Dragon Tower who idolized the princess. However, Neblen shook his head. “No, I did not.”

Gainando asked, “Really? What did you write?”

Neblen asked, “Would you like to hear it?”

Lee Han tried to stop them, “No, I’m going to study now…” but the other two immediately nodded.

Neblen began, “There once was an honorable magician who always prepared meals…”

Asan was impressed. “That’s touching?”

The other students sitting in front of the fireplace nodded their heads. Gainando grumbled, “Hmph. Do you think Wodanaz would like being praised so arbitrarily like that?”

Lee Han said, “Well said, Gainando. The song is not good.”

Neblen was flustered. “No… what aspects are not good? If you say it’s not good, I’ll write a new one…”

Lee Han couldn’t bring himself to tell him to do that. What could be more annoying than starting a new assignment?

Lee Han said, “…On second thought, it’s not that bad.”

Neblen asked, “Is that so?”

Lee Han replied, “Yes. Let’s study now.”

Gainando exclaimed, “Wodanaz! Look over there! There!”

Despite Lee Han’s words, Gainando pointed his finger out the window. Lee Han sighed and looked. He was shocked.

The main building was changing! Its stone walls twisted and moved, like a giant animal waking up.

‘What…!?’

Headmaster Skull said, “It’s because it’s the rearrangement period.”

The students screamed at the sight of a giant skull suddenly rising above the window.

Lee Han asked without being surprised, “Rearrangement period?”

The main building is practically half-alive. According to Headmaster Skull, the main building, which had accumulated magic inside for a long time, could no longer be called an ordinary building.

As the countless wizards who had come and gone from Einrogard added new spaces and cast new spells, the main building would periodically rearrange its body. It was a way of relatively reorganizing all sorts of disorder and chaos.

Lee Han was startled after listening without much thought. “Uh… wait a minute. Does that mean the internal layout changes too?” He had just finished making a map!

Headmaster Skull replied, “It doesn’t change that much. The framework remains, after all. However, things like a room that should be here disappearing might happen.”

Lee Han said, “That’s a relief.”

Headmaster Skull warned, “Don’t go out at night during this time. It’s dangerous. Some students have gotten lost in the building when it changes.”

Lee Han replied, “What nonsense are you talking about? There’s a curfew at night. I have never broken a rule.”

Not only his friends but even Headmaster Skull was slightly impressed by his audacity.

Headmaster Skull said, “Well… alright. Come out.”

Lee Han asked, “Pardon?”

Headmaster Skull said, “Didn’t you agree to learn illusion magic from Ogonin every weekend?”

Lee Han finally remembered. “Ah…”

Ogonin, a great archmage who was amazing in his prime even if his skills were a bit rusty now, was a person who had inherited the lineage of pure classical illusion magic among illusion mages. Headmaster Skull had told him to consider it an honor to have the opportunity to learn from such a person, but…

Lee Han said, “But I’m busy with pre-finals assignments right now.”

Headmaster Skull replied, “It’s alright.”

Lee Han’s face lit up. “Ah, it won’t take long?” Headmaster Skull was the head of this school, so there was no way he wouldn’t know about the academic schedule.

Headmaster Skull said, “No. I don’t know either. I said it’s alright because you’re the one doing the pre-finals assignments. Come out.”

Gainando, who was listening to the conversation next to him, nodded. ‘I need to write a song about an evil lich.’

Headmaster Skull asked, “You met Ikurusha?”

Lee Han was flustered. “…No. Is there perhaps some kind of bulletin board in Einrogard that I don’t know about?”

Lee Han imagined Professor Voladi sneaking into the faculty lounge and posting a paper that said, >Explanation of Pre-Finals Assignment Contents Requested<. 'Should I infiltrate the lounge and destroy the bulletin board?' Headmaster Skull said, "There’s no such thing. But that’s an interesting idea." Lee Han replied, "No…" Headmaster Skull continued, "And Ikurusha knew you from the start. I went to see him, and he suddenly started praising you, so I asked." There weren’t only professors and students on the magic school grounds. Thanks to the powerful flow of magic, there were many mysterious beings who had been living there for a long time. Headmaster Skull said, "Originally, that blockhead doesn’t praise other students, especially when it comes to alchemy… Did you perhaps cheat with magic?" Lee Han replied, "I don’t know what you’re talking about. It was a fair bet." Headmaster Skull said, "I’m sure it was. Hmm… but even if it’s resistance, it’s amazing that you defeated Ikurusha. To think you knew such a potion… Did Professor Ure-walk teach you?" Lee Han replied, "Since I learned alchemy, you could say that’s the case." Headmaster Skull said, "Forget it. Anyway, alchemy aside, you seem to be really good at chess." Lee Han replied, "I was lucky. Mr. Ikurusha was a bit clumsy…" Headmaster Skull looked at Lee Han as if he were crazy. Lee Han didn’t notice that gaze.