Surviving As A Mage In A Magic Academy [EN]: Chapter 274

Even if wizards have the same amount of magic, it’s never exactly the same. Some magic is better for fire spells. Some is better for sound spells. And some magic is weaker because it has dirt inside it.

Magic that is cleaner, with less dirt, works much better, even if it’s the same amount.

Of course, every wizard wants to have only the cleanest magic inside them, but that’s almost impossible.

Living things get old and die.

Even breathing makes magic less pure. So, no one can have perfect magic, not even a tiny bit.

Therefore, wizards try to clean their magic using secret methods and spells. They want to make it purer.

But sometimes, there are exceptions.

Some wizards are born with naturally clean magic, without even trying.

The boy from the Wodanaz family before their eyes had a bit too much, though…

“Don’t tell Bibble.”

“Of course.”

The Skull Headmaster and Professor Garcia conversed telepathically.

If Professor Verdus finds out, he will just be annoying.

“What’s wrong?”

Just stay still. Why are you being so jumpy?

The Skull Headmaster blocked Professor Verdus’s view and then forcefully turned his head. With a creaking sound, Professor Verdus’s neck twisted.

Meanwhile, Professor Garcia quickly dispersed the remaining magic power, so Professor Verdus wouldn’t see and notice.

Cast the spell quickly.

“Wait. My neck hurts a bit.”

Heal it later. You have to do it before the received magic power disappears.

“Alright. Alright.”

Professor Verdus grumbled but did what he had to do.

After waving his wand a few times and tapping it, all the students in the room were given flame-retardant magic.

Once the preparations were complete, the Skull Headmaster asked with interest,

So, how do you plan to exhaust the phoenix’s stamina now?

“First, I need both of you to help.”

The Skull Headmaster was puzzled when Leahan pointed to him and Professor Volardi.

Dare he?

It would be a big mistake if he thought I would kindly help him. The nerve of this kid.

‘You said you would help though…’

The students were dumbfounded, but Leahan was not surprised.

He was always like that anyway!

“Still, you will help to some extent, won’t you?”

Only to the extent that I can as a professor.

“Yes. That’s all I’m asking for.”

So, what is it?

The Skull Headmaster stared at the phoenix with a sulky look. Then he said to Professor Volardi next to him,

Why did you accept it then?

“?”

Just now.

Leahan had asked this:

-Please drive the phoenix.

-What? Drive the phoenix with magic? That’s beyond what I can do as a professor.

-I’m not asking you to use magic.

-Then?

-Just get close to it.

-……

The Skull Headmaster had to admit Leahan was clever.

Unlike driving the phoenix with magic, just getting close to it wasn’t a difficult task.

Also, mythical creatures like phoenixes have very strong senses, almost like they can read minds.

A being like the Skull Headmaster, who could harm the phoenix, was likely to be avoided.

But the Skull Headmaster couldn’t refuse because he had already spoken…

-Alright. But Professor Begreck here might not be willing to do such a thing…

‘Refuse instead. Professor Begreck.’

-I understand.

-!?

Professor Volardi accepted far too easily than expected.

From the Skull Headmaster’s perspective, it was an absurd situation.

Since when had he been so cooperative with the magic school’s affairs??

“Isn’t it necessary for teaching?”

……

The Skull Headmaster’s mouth dropped open.

Even though the Skull Headmaster was a powerful wizard who tried not to feel any emotions, Professor Volardi’s words shook the Skull Headmaster’s emotions.

‘That… that guy…!’

If Professor Garcia had said such a thing, the Skull Headmaster would have fully understood.

Even if Professor Alphen or Professor Mortum had said such a thing, he could have understood to some extent.

But Professor Volardi only cares about teaching, even more than Professor Verdus! So, it was silly for him to say this, which made him furious.

Where was he when the Skull Headmaster had tentatively suggested, ‘Even so, if you keep having zero students, shouldn’t you consider changing your approach a bit’?!

That… that…!

“?”

…It’s nothing.

The Skull Headmaster gave up talking to Professor Volardi.

There was only one thing he felt while staying in Einroguard for a long time.

Talking to him is like talking to a wall. It’s pointless.

People like Bibble or Professor Volardi were not the kind of people who could be persuaded by the Skull Headmaster’s words.

‘Should I have stopped that Wodanaz kid from attending the lecture…?’

The Skull Headmaster felt a pain in his stomach that didn’t even exist.

Right now, Professor Volardi must be thinking, ‘Since a student who passed the curriculum I created has appeared, I was right after all.’

Thinking about that gave him a headache.

Let’s just drive it.

The Skull Headmaster approached the phoenix.

Then the phoenix, which had been circling and playing in the sky, was startled and chirped.

■■■! ■■■! ■■■■ ■!

Shut up. You’re just a bird-brained thing that’s only good at burning. I allowed you to play in my garden, so don’t act too important.

The frightened phoenix immediately turned and began to fly to the opposite side of the Skull Headmaster.

However, Professor Volardi was already waiting there.

Professor Volardi, who was floating in the air with levitation magic like the Skull Headmaster, stared at the phoenix with a blank face.

‘Could it pass by?’

The Skull Headmaster hoped that the phoenix would pass by Professor Volardi.

Unlike the Skull Headmaster, who exuded an overwhelming presence from his very soul, Professor Volardi was not an ancient monster.

Besides, Professor Volardi was a battle wizard who had reached the pinnacle.

He was a wizard who had reached the pinnacle in controlling and not revealing his emotions.

Then the phoenix might not feel threatened and pass by…

Flap!

The phoenix immediately turned and flew away.

The Skull Headmaster blinked in bewilderment.

…Did he perhaps ever attack that phoenix?

“It’s too fast!” a student yelled, chasing after a flash of red and gold.

The thin and tired-looking Headmaster sighed deeply.

The phoenix, now far away, flew quickly towards the main school building.

“Close the gates!” Ethan, a student nearby, shouted to the others as the phoenix flew into the building.

The loud bang of the closing gates didn’t bother the phoenix.

Instead, it swooped towards the students, feathers bright, as if inviting them to play a game.

“Wodanaaz! What now?” a student asked, out of breath. “It’s too fast!”

Wodanaaz frowned. “We have to catch it.”

“But how?” another student groaned. “It’s a phoenix! Can’t we use magic?”

“The Headmaster said ‘catch it’,” Wodanaaz replied, shrugging. “So… we catch it. Maybe it will get tired if we chase it long enough?” He didn’t sound very sure.

The other students stared at him, unimpressed. “That’s your plan? Just… chase a magical bird until it gets tired?”

Eunrade, an imperial official, smiled at the adventurers he had hired as guards.

“Don’t worry so much, everyone,” Eunrade said, trying to sound cheerful. “Einrogard really isn’t as dangerous as people say.”

“I had a colleague who once guarded someone going to Einrogard,” one adventurer muttered. “He never spoke about it afterwards. Not a single word.”

These were experienced adventurers. They knew the safe roads and the dangerous corners of the empire.

It wasn’t the wild lands or fearsome monsters that made Einrogard dangerous. It was the wizards. Einrogard was full of them, and they were known to be… unusual.

Eunrade thought he had a clever idea to calm them down. “Actually,” he said, with a friendly smile, “I’m from Einrogard myself. It’s where I went to magic school.” He expected them to relax. Instead…

“H-he’s from Einrogard!”

“Did we take the wrong request?”

“W-well… it’s an imperial request, so surely they wouldn’t offer us to Einrogard as test subjects, would they?”

“You can’t blindly trust an imperial request!”

The adventurers became even more frightened by the fact that he was a wizard from Einrogard.

The adventurers trembled, fearing that Eunrade would capture them and hand them over as experimental subjects. Eunrade had to spend hours persuading them.

“…Do you understand? I’m absolutely not trying to hand you over as experimental subjects; I’m going to do my job as an imperial official.”

“O-oh… I see…”

“I’ll trust you for now…”

Eunrade sighed inwardly. *These ridiculous rumors make my job so much harder,* he thought.

It was a simple task as an imperial official to check on the state of the magic school students, but the adventurers were so frightened.

Anyway, the absurd rumors were complicating things.

“Look,” Eunrade said, trying to sound patient. “Most of those stories about Einrogard are just rumors. Don’t believe everything you hear, okay?”

“Yes…”

“Th-then… the incident where all the goats in the village around Einrogard turned into demons, which was reported in the imperial newspaper last year, was also a false rumor?”

“Ah. That was an unfortunate accident.”

The adventurers looked at each other.

Then, they cautiously asked one more question.

“Perhaps… the incident where a black magician from Einrogard broke into the Knights’ cemetery and tried to steal corpses, which was reported in the imperial newspaper the year before last, was also a false rumor?”

“Well, yes, that one is true,” Eunrade admitted, a little embarrassed. “But Einrogard has so many graduates over the years. It’s bound to happen that one or two of them… go a bit wrong.”

“…W-well, yes!”

“That’s right!”

The adventurers nodded slowly, but behind his back, they exchanged worried glances and whispered things like, “Demons goats!” and “Corpse thief!” Eunrade, lost in his own thoughts, didn’t see their fear.

‘I’ll arrive within an hour.’

Eunrade looked around the familiar road and checked the sky. Dawn wasn’t breaking yet, but it was almost time for morning.

The final exams would start this week, so he was arriving just in time…

“Alright! Everyone, cheer up.”

“Understood, Wizard.”

“Silver coins are silver coins,” one of the adventurers grumbled, but nodded. “We’ll do the job we were paid for.”

The adventurers nodded, swinging their lanterns to light the way.

Even though it was a well-maintained imperial road, they had to be careful when it was this dark. Monsters could jump out from the nearby bushes.

Rumble!

“!??!!”

“Battle formation!”

Suddenly, a huge monster jumped out with a deafening roar, and the adventurers were terrified and drew their weapons.

However, Eunrade stopped the adventurers.

“There’s no need to fight.”

“Yes??”

“Look at the letters engraved on its shoulder. It’s a chimera that escaped from the magic school. It’s forbidden from attacking people.”

The adventurers looked at Eunrade with eyes full of mixed emotions.

It was amazing that he could recognize the letters engraved on its shoulder in this darkness, but more than that…

‘A chimera escaped from the magic school, and he’s this calm about it?’

“Th-that… Wizard. Shouldn’t we call the guards?”

“Haha. There’s no need for that. It’s not that big of a deal.”

“…I see!”

How much time had passed?

The magic school’s massive walls and main gate finally came into view.

As soon as the main gate opened, a strange monster nearby howled and rolled towards them.

A gurgling, choked roar echoed from the bushes.

“?!?”

“Battle formation again…”

“There’s no need to fight.”

“Yes??”

“Oh, that’s just… ah, yes, it’s probably just a student. Don’t worry, it happens all the time. Probably a transformation spell gone wrong.”

The adventurers just stared. They had run out of screams. After demon goats and corpse thieves, a monster student seemed… almost normal for Einrogard.

Creak-

The main building door opened.

Inside, they saw a group of students, faces red and sweaty, struggling to hold down a brightly colored phoenix.

The adventurers, as if determined not to be surprised this time, looked at Eunrade and said.

One adventurer just shook his head slowly. “Magic school event,” he mumbled. “Of course. Why wouldn’t it be?”

“Maybe,” another said in a flat voice, “you have to wrestle a phoenix to pass your exams here. Seems about right.”

“Headmaster! What in the world is going on here?!” Eunrade exclaimed, finally looking truly shocked as he saw the scene inside.

Even so, this was too much!