Surviving As A Mage In A Magic Academy [EN]: Chapter 263

“Keeuugh…” Doig couldn’t believe it.

They thought they were moving at the same speed. But the wizard was faster. He only needed a quick wave of his wand and a few words. Doig and his brother had to aim and fire their crossbows.

Plop!

The two adventurers collapsed.

Lee Han looked at the fallen men, confused. “Did they have armor on? Was that… not enough?” he asked Professor Voladi.

“It’s enough.”

In truth, very few adventurers wore proper anti-magic equipment. If they had an expensive artifact worth as much as a castle, they would just sell it and retire, not risk their lives doing dangerous work.

The Maple Tree Snake Lee Han had met last time was an extreme case; normally, it was difficult to encounter adventurers equipped like that. Moreover, Doig and his brother had both traveled as lightly as possible for speed…

Lee Han frowned, looking at the men on the ground. “Why would they attack us?” he wondered. He didn’t understand who these men were or why they had tried to hurt them.

“Well, that was certainly a bit of excitement for a quiet morning,” the administrator said, adjusting his spectacles as he looked at the report on his desk. “Bounties on both of them, it seems. Thank you for dealing with that so efficiently.” He looked up at Lee Han and Professor Voladi, a flicker of surprise still in his eyes.

Philone Village was usually peaceful, and the administrator, a man with thinning hair and ink-stained fingers, preferred it that way. He hadn’t expected his day to involve reports of rogue adventurers. He certainly didn’t suspect these two young wizards; anyone could see they were a different class altogether from common bounty hunters.

“Bounties?” Lee Han repeated, surprised. “Really?” He hadn’t expected that. *Bounty hunters? They didn’t seem very good at it,* he thought to himself. *How had they even managed to get bounties on their heads in the first place?*

The administrator nodded, trying to appear composed, though he was genuinely impressed. He knew Einroguard produced exceptional wizards, but to see such young students handle armed attackers so calmly was still remarkable. *They don’t even look old enough to shave,* he mused. Yet, they had captured the notorious Doig brothers as if it were nothing. The administrator found himself momentarily admiring their quiet confidence.

“Indeed,” the administrator confirmed with a smile. “As expected from Einroguard. Keep up the excellent work, young man.”

“Thank you,” Lee Han replied politely. He bowed slightly, then paused, a strange feeling settling in his stomach. *What kind of ‘success’ is he expecting?* he wondered. *Does he think I’m going to become some kind of… criminal catcher?* The praise felt a little unsettling.

However, his mood improved again when he received a pouch full of silver coins.

Lee Han bowed politely and greeted him respectfully.

“Thank you. Goodbye.”

The administrator was surprised again.

It was humility that was the complete opposite of the confidence he had just shown.

*Is he from a great noble family after all…?*

He didn’t know which family he was from, but he was clearly from a deeply rooted great noble family.

The administrator was deeply impressed without realizing it.

Magic, a difficult field of study that ordinary people couldn’t even dream of mastering.

Such a boy, so confident in his talent yet never losing his manners, was the kind of person who should walk the path of such a field.

*Do your best.*

The administrator cheered for Lee Han.

It was the administrator’s job to ensure that students like that boy could focus solely on magic.

Tedious and boring work like managing the Empire was what people like the administrator had to do.

“…Would you like to split it?” Lee Han asked.

Lee Han, estimating the weight of the silver coin pouch, realized Professor Voladi was next to him.

“No.”

Fortunately, Professor Voladi wasn’t very interested in his student’s money pouch.

*He doesn’t seem to be in a good mood.*

Even without using Ogonin’s magic, Lee Han had an extraordinary sense for reading the emotions of professors.

*It’s probably not because of the silver coins…*

“Is it because of the deals?”

Professor Voladi nodded.

He had received quite a few letters, but they were all from swindlers.

Professor Voladi couldn’t help but be disappointed, as he had hoped that at least one person would bring something worthwhile.

Lee Han tried to manage his expression.

*I mustn’t laugh. If I laugh, I’m dead.*

Professor Voladi wasn’t the type to retaliate emotionally like Headmaster Skull, but it wouldn’t be good if the student laughed next to the professor when he had failed.

Moreover, wasn’t Professor Voladi also a master of close combat?

“It’s alright. If it were that easy to find, would it be a rare monster? I’m fine without it,” Lee Han said with innocent eyes.

At those words, Professor Voladi frowned slightly.

As his student declined so earnestly, a faint emotion welled up from the depths of his heart.

It was frustration.

The frustration he felt when he failed to do what he should as a teacher.

Professor Voladi had to frown even more to control the emotion he was feeling for the first time.

*…Is this alright?*

Lee Han felt uneasy as Professor Voladi’s expression became even more contorted.

*Surely he wouldn’t say something like, “Since there are no monsters, I have no choice but to become the monster myself,” would he?*

“Professor?”

“Yes.”

Lee Han breathed a sigh of relief inwardly as Professor Voladi’s face returned to normal.

“But there’s still time until the final exam, so I’ll look for it more.”

*Damn it.*

Lee Han cursed Professor Voladi.

*Why is he so passionate about such useless things?*

*Couldn’t he spend that time wondering, “Why is there only one student in my lecture hall?”*

“Are you wizards from Einroguard?”

Lee Han looked up.

He had never seen the person before, but he could guess that they were a nobleman of considerable status.

Everything about him shouted power – from his loud voice and bossy way of speaking, to his fancy clothes, the rings on his fingers, and the strong guards around him.

“Who is he?”

“Yes, indeed. Excuse me, but who are you?”

The nobleman didn’t even bother to answer himself. A guard beside him stepped forward.

“This is Duke Icardoren. Please, identify yourselves.”

“Ihan of the Wodanaz family.”

The guard’s eyes widened slightly.

“Volardi of the Begreck family.”

The Begreck family was known, but the Wodanaz family was much more powerful. Even a Duke like Icardoren had to be careful with them. The guard’s attitude became even more cautious.

“‘Duke Icardoren, eh…’ Ihan thought. He’d heard the name. Duke Icardoren was famous, written about in the newspapers. But the stories were never good. Whispers of cruelty and greed followed him.”

Most nobles were known to be cunning and have secret plans. But Duke Icardoren was known to be even worse.

As a cunning and scheming individual, Ihan couldn’t help but feel a little nervous.

Professor Volardi was beside him, but that didn’t make Ihan feel better. In fact, Professor Volardi was more of a problem. He was known for his bad temper and for saying whatever he thought, no matter how rude.

“Even if Professor Volardi insults Duke Icardoren, Headmaster Skull will step in, right? He is still a member of the magic school, isn’t he?”

Ihan quickly bowed his head to hide his worry. ‘Please, Headmaster Skull, don’t let Professor Volardi cause trouble,’ he thought, picturing the Headmaster’s angry face.

Duke Icardoren smiled, a wide, practiced smile that didn’t quite reach his cold eyes. He looked like he was in his forties, his face smooth and unwrinkled.

“Well, this is a pleasure.”

“Just a few days ago, a mage told me there would be a special meeting here. And now, meeting important mages from Einroguard in my village – I think this must be it!”

One of the Duke’s guards glared at Ihan and whispered to the Duke, his eyes darting around nervously, his hand near his sword.

“Your Grace, as far as I know, students of the magic school are forbidden from going out. Isn’t this suspicious?”

Duke Icardoren’s smile vanished. His voice turned sharp.

“Foolishness!” he snapped, his eyes cold. “Are you suggesting these are not allowed to be here? Of course, students can travel with a professor! Don’t be ridiculous. Step back, now.”

The guard bowed his head and stepped back.

Ihan felt a sudden pang of guilt. The guard was too clever.

‘Had they been too obvious?’ he worried. ‘Were they really not supposed to be out of Einroguard without permission?’

“Forgive me if this is impolite, but I overheard that the two of you were looking for something? I would like to offer my assistance.”

Ihan’s smile vanished. His face became stiff, like stone. ‘The rumors were true,’ he thought, his heart sinking.

Cunning and full of schemes, just as they said. Trying to send an innocent student to his doom.

“We are looking for a rare monster.”

“Any specific requirements?”

“It must be immune to fire, water, and lightning, possess strong magic resistance, and have a speed of at least 60 kilometers per hour…”

Even after hearing Professor Volardi’s nonsense, Duke Icardoren’s expression didn’t change, though there was a slight flicker in his eyes.

He called over the guard beside him and asked.

“Can you acquire it?”

“I will look into it.”

“Please do. In the meantime, may I offer you something to drink?”

Ihan wanted to groan out loud, but he just sighed quietly to himself. ‘Professor Volardi, what are you doing?’ he thought desperately.

“Tea, if possible, please.”

“Excellent taste.”

Duke Icardoren raised a hand and lightly tapped his fingers on the armrest of his chair. It was a small movement, but the subordinate instantly went silent, his face pale.

“Your Grace, even if they are from the Wodanaz family and professors at Einroguard, isn’t this an excessive investment…”

The Duke’s voice was low and cold, like ice.

“I know what you’re trying to say.”

The monster the mages were asking for was more rare and difficult to find than he had anticipated. On the other hand, he couldn’t be sure of the position of these two mages within Einroguard. One was a professor, but he didn’t know what level of professor, and the other seemed like a low-ranking student…

At that level, there was a high possibility that befriending them wouldn’t bring much benefit. The chances of a professor or student being close to the headmaster were not very high. However, Duke Icardoren had decided to invest in them, even considering that.

He needed to find ways to get information from inside the magic school, no matter how small the chance of success. ‘I need to find out what’s going on inside Einroguard at any cost. Something important was happening there, something he needed to uncover.’

The Duke’s face was calm, but his mind was complex. Recently, one of the Duke’s confidants had entered Einroguard and then disappeared. If his confidant had been captured by Gonadaltes, the powerful and unpredictable Headmaster of Einroguard, he needed to quickly assess the situation.

If that temperamental man found out the truth… the truth about what the Duke was really planning… he would never let it go.

Even if he didn’t like the two mages, it couldn’t be helped. He had to play this game. Duke Icardoren smoothed his face into a polite smile and stepped back into the drawing room.

“Do you like the tea?”

Ihan and Professor Volardi were sipping their tea.

“It is excellent. Thank you, Your Grace.”

Ihan’s polite words were like a breath of fresh air. Professor Volardi just nodded, barely glancing at the Duke. Duke Icardoren’s smile tightened for a moment, but he quickly hid his annoyance. He needed these mages, rude or not.

‘Those damn mages, anyway.’ They were narrow-minded fools who only focused on their own areas of interest. In comparison, Ihan’s demeanor was quite refreshing. He had expected him to be inherently rude, coming from the Wodanaz family…

“I apologize for only serving such cheap tea to a student who should be focusing on magic.”

“Not at all. If I had my way, I would pack some to take with me when I leave.”

“Haha…” Duke Icardoren chuckled, a dry sound that didn’t quite reach his eyes.

“I will keep that in mind.”

“I would be most grateful.”

‘The Wodanaz family… is that right?’ Duke Icardoren had never seen a member of the Wodanaz family who knew how to converse without offending people. And even making such jokes. It was truly astonishing.

“Now that I think about it, if you are studying at Einroguard, you must have met Duke Gonadaltes as well.”

“Yes, I have met him.”

“Are you perhaps on familiar terms with him?”

Ihan’s polite smile vanished. His face twisted in disgust.

“How could that be?” he said, his voice sharp. “Familiar terms with Gonadaltes? No, thank you.”

What kind of familiar terms could they possibly have? Unless it was a relationship of hatred or pain.

‘A pity,’ Duke Icardoren thought, hiding his disappointment. If Ihan had been close to Gonadaltes, that would have been a perfect opportunity. But it seemed that was not the case.