Surviving As A Mage In A Magic Academy [EN]: Chapter 3

Gainan thought Lee Han was joking.

*Hard black bread and cold rice balls?* He couldn’t imagine living like that.

*That rough, old cloak?* It looked like rags.

But Lee Han’s face was serious. He wasn’t joking at all.

“The Wodanaz family… they must be scary!” Gainan whispered, surprised.

Noble families in the Empire were very powerful. Each family had its own strange ways and old stories.

Lee Han’s family, the Wodanaz family, was one of the most mysterious. People didn’t know much about them.

This was because they stayed away from politics and only cared about magic research.

Because of this, Gainan got the wrong idea.

*So, the Wodanaz family makes their children live like this!* he thought. *That’s too harsh! Even slaves don’t live like this… I didn’t know the Wodanaz family head was so mean.*

Gainan felt sorry for Lee Han. He patted Lee Han’s shoulder gently.

“Come to my house sometime,” Gainan said. “I will give you good food.”

“Um… thanks?” Lee Han said, confused. He didn’t understand why Gainan was being so kind. He just nodded anyway.

After the headmaster’s loud speech finished, and the students walked away, Lee Han could talk to Yoner again.

Lee Han asked the question in his mind.

“Why are you always with Gainan? Your family, the Maykin family, is strong. You don’t need to care about a royal like him.”

“Oh,” Yoner said easily. “It’s because of Gainan’s mother.”

Lee Han looked curious. “Did you help Gainan’s mother before?”

Lee Han quickly imagined a story.

*Maybe young Yoner made a mistake at a palace party. Everyone looked down on him. Yoner was scared and almost crying. Then, Gainan’s mother, the Empress, came and said kindly:*

“-Don’t worry. Everyone makes mistakes.”

*That would be a touching story! And Yoner would be grateful.*

“Huh? No,” Yoner laughed. “Gainan’s mother is super rich. She pays me to be Gainan’s friend.”

“…!!”

*Money?* He thought. *I should be friends with Gainan too!*

Einroguard Magic School took students from everywhere – from royal princes to poor slaves, if they had magic talent.

But the school wizards knew that mixing young people with strong feelings and quick tempers could cause trouble.

So, the dorms were in four towers, based on where students came from.

First was the Tower of the Arrogant Blue Dragon.

This was for royals and students from famous, rich families.

Lee Han, being from the Wodanaz family, was sent here.

“Ugh, priests,” someone grumbled. “I hope they don’t just preach all day.”

“Shhh, don’t start a fight,” someone else whispered.

They were talking about the students going into the Tower of the Ever-Burning Phoenix.

The Tower of the Ever-Burning Phoenix.

This tower was for priests from different groups in the Empire.

It might seem strange, but these priests used magic! They believed magic was a gift from God. So, many religious groups sent their priests to Einroguard, the best magic school in the Empire.

*They do look different,* Lee Han thought.

The nobles wore fancy clothes, not school uniforms yet. But the priests all wore simple, plain robes.

The noble students, who had listened to priests’ boring talks since they were little, made faces.

*Clang, clang-*

Then, even more students arrived, and the nobles looked even more annoyed.

These were going to the Tower of the White Tiger Biting Lightning.

Students from knight families went here.

Knights at a magic school? It seemed odd, but knights needed magic too.

From talking in minds to healing wounds, magic was useful everywhere. These students were learning to be both knights and wizards.

Gainan frowned, looking unhappy.

“Why let knights into a magic school?” he complained. “They ruin the true magic path! We could just hire a cheap wizard to teach them if they need magic.”

Lee Han listened and felt a bit bad.

Maybe other students wanted to find deep truths with magic. But Lee Han just wanted to become famous using magic.

“If you learn magic,” Lee Han said, “you should learn from the best, right?”

“What? Why are you defending them?” Gainan asked, surprised.

“Gainan,” Lee Han said calmly. He felt kinder to Gainan now, knowing his mother was rich.

“A truly noble person doesn’t look down on others.”

“…That sounds too hard,” Gainan mumbled.

But Gainan wanted to be noble, so he stopped complaining.

After the knight students, the last group arrived.

These students looked very different from each other. They wore all kinds of clothes.

The Tower of the Black Tortoise Seeing the Past and Future.

This tower had students from all walks of life.

Poor people, servants, slaves, clowns, beggars, traders, and even some new, less important nobles – everyone was mixed together.

They seemed to know they were seen as the lowest. You could feel they were trying to be small and not noticed.

*I should talk to them if I can,* Lee Han thought.

Unlike the other nobles who were looking down at them, Lee Han wanted to make friends with these students.

How to get rich?

Business, of course!

And who better to do business with than people who were tough and knew the real world, not just spoiled nobles like Gainan?

“Are they looking at us?”

“Don’t look back. It’s trouble.”

“Poor losers…”

The Black Tortoise students could clearly see the nobles looking down on them.

They knew arguing would be pointless, so they looked away and kept walking.

“Do we really have to be in the same school as those common people? Really?”

One voice whispered loudly.

The Black Tortoise students heard it. Their faces turned angry.

*Aha!*

Lee Han suddenly saw a chance.

A chance to make friends with the students from that tower!

*I need to act now!*

The Black Tortoise students felt scared, even if they tried not to show it.

Even the bravest students felt uneasy in this strange place with people whispering about them.

Just then, Lee Han, a boy from the Blue Dragon Tower, walked forward.

He had a strong face, like a statue, proud and handsome. He spoke slowly and clearly.

“The ‘common people’ here are probably you,” Lee Han said, looking at the nobles. “Didn’t you give up your fancy titles to come to Einroguard? Why are you showing off your silly pride now?”

Lee Han seemed powerful and important. He had a natural air of command, like a true noble.

The other Blue Dragon students looked impressed.

“He’s right!” one said.

“He’s from the Wodanaz family, isn’t he? Just like them!” another whispered.

The noble who had made fun of the Black Tortoise students felt ashamed and stayed quiet.

But the Black Tortoise students reacted in a different way.

“Wodanaz family?” one gasped.

“That magic family?!” another whispered in fear.

“Don’t look at them, idiot! They’re dangerous!” someone hissed.

“Isn’t their family head a dragon?” one student mumbled. “Or a dragon’s child?”

“I heard they are from an old spirit, not a dragon…” another whispered back.

“……”

At first, Lee Han thought it was working.

He thought everyone understood his words.

*Not bad,* he thought.

Now, he just waited for the Black Tortoise students to thank him…

“Wodanaz family?!”

“That magic family?!”

“Don’t look at them! Dangerous family!”

“Dragon head, right?”

“Ancient spirit, I heard…”

“…”

But the reaction was not what Lee Han expected.

They looked scared, not friendly!

Lee Han realized he had made a mistake.

He thought they would be grateful…

Yoner, next to him, said admiringly, “Wow, you were amazing! That’s how a real noble should be at Einroguard.”

“…Yoner,” Lee Han asked quietly. “Do I look… scary?”

“Huh? Scary? No! You look noble! Like a true noble!” Yoner said, confused.

Yoner didn’t get it. Lee Han *was* handsome, in a noble way.

Strong face, firm jaw, tight lips, sharp eyes.

Nobles liked that kind of strong look. Common people might be afraid, but nobles saw it as power.

The Blue Dragon students were all looking at Lee Han with respect.

Lee Han sighed.

*Making friends will be hard,* he thought.

The dorm towers were far apart, in all directions around the main school building.

Lee Han and the other students walked towards the blue tower in the distance.

*This place is huge,* Lee Han thought, impressed.

Inside, it was even more amazing.

It was a school, but it had a lake, a forest, a river, and even a mountain!

Lee Han remembered what the headmaster said.

*’Get what you want yourself,’ he said, right?*

The headmaster said he could get anything he wanted at this school.

Looking around, Lee Han thought it was true.

He could hunt animals in the forest, or fish in the lake…

“Are you thinking the same thing?” Gainan asked.

“Huh?”

“Were you thinking how lucky we are to see such beautiful views?”

“No,” Lee Han said honestly. “I was thinking about what animals I can catch in that forest.”

“…Does the Wodanaz family train you in hunting too?” Gainan asked, surprised.

The Tower of the Arrogant Blue Dragon was a tall tower made of blue stone. It was tall and strong.

It didn’t look very big from outside.

But inside, it was huge, like magic had made it bigger.

“!”

As soon as Lee Han stepped through the tower door, the other students vanished.

He was alone in a dark space.

[Where do you want to go?] a voice asked.

” ? ”

[Where do you want to go?] the voice asked again.

*Ah, the tower is talking,* Lee Han realized.

“Where… can I go?” he asked the voice.

[You learn fast,] the voice said, sounding amused.

Lee Han couldn’t see anyone, but he felt like the tower was smiling.

[Right now, you can only go to your room or the first-year lounge.]

“Can I go to other places later?”

[Yes. Some places you just need to know the name. Other places, you need to know more.]

BlueDragonTowerDormitory

PhoenixTowerDormitory

TigerTowerDormitory

TortoiseTowerDormitory

“Can I go to the second-year lounge or the common lounge?”

[Yes. But not yet.]

“Why not?”

[The headmaster said no.]

“…”

Lee Han cursed the headmaster in his mind. *He’s so strict,* Lee Han thought.

“Then, please send me to my room,” Lee Han said to the tower.

[Okay. Welcome to school, young wizard,] the voice said.