Surviving As A Mage In A Magic Academy [EN]: Chapter 30

Lee Han posed the question almost without realizing it.

He was thinking about curses. In some ways, a curse was similar to magic that made something stronger, but in a bad way. What if there was a curse that made someone trying to lose weight actually shed pounds? If used correctly, it might even be beneficial.

A belt cursed to absorb magic would typically be an item that most wizards would avoid. But for Lee Han, the situation was a bit different.

Lee Han had an excessive amount of magic.

‘That thing is seriously worth wearing,’ he thought.

He was already wearing a steel bracelet that absorbed magic; wearing one more belt wouldn’t make much of a difference.

“Effects, you say?” Lee Han asked.

“Well, since it’s a cursed item, doesn’t it have some original effect?”

Magic had its action and reaction.

Cursed items often possessed more potent effects than ordinary items as compensation. Who would willingly wear a cursed item otherwise?

“Ah, Brother, is that what you meant? Let’s see…”

Lee Han thought this was strange. Shouldn’t the priest remember what the belt *did* before worrying about the curse?

“It was a belt enchanted with invisibility. But that’s not really important. What matters is the curse… Anyway, Brother, you can be honest with me. I can accept any answer you give…”

“What are you talking about? I am fully prepared,” Lee Han said, looking intently at the priest. The priest was deeply shocked by this.

“Good heavens!”

He had assumed Lee Han would give up and leave, but he was wrong.

‘How shameful! I failed to recognize a true brother in faith and instead spoke hastily.’

The priest no longer saw Lee Han as just a well-bred young man from a prestigious family. He saw a brother ready to walk the path of faith with dedication.

“Brother, I am Mehred. Tell me your name.”

“Lee Han. Lee Han Wodanaz.”

‘Wodanaz!’

Mehred was even more surprised.

The Wodanaz family? Weren’t they a notoriously faithless family in the Empire? No wonder he seemed so refined.

“The Order will rejoice at your initiation, Brother. Here, receive this belt dedicated to Freisinger.”

The name sounded grand for a cursed belt, but Lee Han accepted it solemnly.

As he fastened the belt, Mehred looked at Lee Han with a worried expression.

Brothers newly initiated into the Order always struggled with bearing Freisinger’s burden. After all, curses were difficult for those experiencing them for the first time.

That magic-absorbing belt might be too harsh for a newly enrolled student…

“How do I activate this invisibility magic?”

“…?!?!”

“??

“Ah, well… you recite, ‘I hide in the night.’ To undo it, you recite, ‘I reveal myself in the morning.’”

“I hide in the night.”

As Lee Han spoke, the air around him seemed to ripple, like heat rising from hot sand. Then, with a soft *pop*, his image flickered and disappeared. One moment he was there, the next, only the empty space where he had stood remained. It was a perfect invisibility, like something from a storybook.

‘Oh…’

Lee Han was amazed.

Not all invisibility magic was created equal. Lower circle invisibility magic was merely called invisibility magic; it only slightly refracted light, or had noticeable flaws if you looked closely. But this belt’s invisibility magic seemed almost perfect.

‘It was worth wearing a cursed item,’ he thought.

“Brother, are you… feeling alright?”

“Of course, I’m fine. I reveal myself in the morning.”

Lee Han dispelled the spell.

Before wearing the belt, he had secretly hoped that his magic would be reduced, leaving only a manageable amount… Surprisingly, it had no effect whatsoever.

‘Judging by his concern, it seems like an item that absorbs quite a bit of magic. How can it have no effect like this?’

At this rate, it seemed like the magic he was recovering was more than what the steel bracelet or belt was absorbing…

Overcome with greed, Lee Han opened his mouth.

“Priest, I wish to bear a little more of Freisinger’s burden.”

“Heuh…!”

Mehred was deeply moved by the words of this admirable brother.

But he couldn’t accept it. Even the belt he was currently wearing would be quite a burden on his body…

“It is not possible, Brother. Freisinger’s burden cannot be borne all at once. I understand your heart, but you must wait a little longer.”

“No! I must bear more!”

“I understand your heart! But, Brother, you must wait!”

In the end, he failed to acquire another artifact, but it wasn’t without its gains. The invisibility belt alone was an enormous boon.

What Lee Han would do with this was, of course…

‘More ways to escape,’ he thought.

From the last escape, Lee Han had realized his own complacency. This school was more insane than he thought, and the headmaster was far more of a madman. He didn’t know what traps might lie ahead in Lee Han’s future attempts. At that time, this invisibility belt would protect Lee Han.

“…Thus, the first gathering to honor Freisinger’s will was held, and this became the origin of the Order. We will conclude here for today, Brother,” Mehred explained the history and rules of the Order to Lee Han.

He wasn’t particularly interested in the history of the Order, but Lee Han was good at listening to uninteresting stories.

‘Actually, it wasn’t that boring,’ he thought.

Apart from the history of the Order, the rules and divine magic were interesting. And surprisingly, the Freisinger Order truly had a free-spirited atmosphere, just as the headmaster had said.

It was okay to believe in other Orders as well. Nothing was forbidden, and you could live as you pleased… Except for wearing cursed items.

‘It really is a decent Order, except for that one drawback, but that one drawback is too significant,’ Lee Han thought. He couldn’t bring himself to honestly say to others, ‘The Freisinger Order is pretty good, you know?’ Because that one drawback was too big!

Besides, the divine magic used by the Order’s priests all had such extreme tendencies…

Mehred, fearing that Lee Han might change his mind after hearing about the Order, handed him a generous gift.

“Here, Brother. Receive this. I’ve heard that freshmen at Einrogaard often go hungry. Of course, the rumors might be a bit exaggerated…”

‘Not exaggerated at all,’ Lee Han thought.

Lee Han accepted the basket that the priest presented. Like the basket that the Flamen Order had given to Yoner, the Freisinger Order had also filled their basket quite generously. He could feel their desperation to never let go of a captured believer.

The basket was overflowing with delicious things. Jars of bright red raspberry jam, golden marmalade, and rich, dark peanut jam gleamed in the light. The flat breads smelled warm and yeasty. Canned beef and pork, famous even in the Empire, with lids sealed by magic, were also included.

There were also luxury items like salt, sugar, coffee powder, and tea leaves.

Mehred said in a kind voice.

“I thought you might need something to drink while studying, so I included them.”

“It seems more necessary for survival than for studying…”

“Pardon?”

“It’s nothing. Thank you.”

Lee Han bowed his head happily.

Mehred seemed to have prepared this for Lee Han to eat as a snack while studying, but considering the situation at the school, this wasn’t for snacking during breaks but for stockpiling in his room for survival.

‘The Order needs to visit regularly to improve the human rights of the students here,’ he thought.

“When is the next event?”

“Well, I’d like to come as soon as possible, but the headmaster has to allow it…”

‘Damn it,’ he thought.

He could tell without hearing the rest that the priests wouldn’t be able to come for a while. The headmaster wouldn’t invite them often, given his personality…

“It would be good if you took this with you as well.”

“?!”,

Tiziling, a demon-blooded priest and freshman from the Tower of the Ever-Burning Phoenix, held out the basket she had received to Lee Han.

Lee Han was startled. What was this? Giving it to him just like that? Was he going to make a contract with a demon if he received it?

“Why are you giving this to me?”

“I serve Freisinger. Such luxury is too much for me.”

“There’s no need for that, Tiziling. It was prepared for you, so take it,” Mehred said.

Mehred seemed to want Tiziling to take the basket, but Tiziling refused.

‘Oh dear. The Tower of the Ever-Burning Phoenix really has a different atmosphere,’ Lee Han thought.

Even the students from the Blue Dragon Tower, to which Lee Han belonged, had already forgotten the dignity of their great families and were rolling their eyes, asking, ‘Hey, got anything to eat? No? Really nothing?’…

While the students from the three towers were doing that, the students from the Phoenix Tower were nobly controlling themselves and persevering.

Amazing!

But amazing was amazing, and Lee Han had no intention of living like that.

“Thank you for the kind…”

“Brother.”

” ?”

Mehred took Lee Han to a corner.

“Could you perhaps take care of Tiziling? Considering the reputation of your family, I believe it would be very helpful to Tiziling if you took care of her. As you can see, Tiziling is too strict with herself.”

“Excuse me? I’m in a different dormitory…”

“Please.”

With those words, Mehred took out another basket and thrust it into Lee Han’s hands. He was definitely a priest who knew what he was doing.

“Here. I’ll give you one more, so please eat together with Tiziling so that she can enjoy the basket you give her.”

“Understood. Trust me.”

Lee Han, holding three baskets, couldn’t refuse the temptation. Just eating a meal together…

“Should I call you Tiziling Priest?” Lee Han asked.

“Yes. You can call me whatever you like, whatever you’re comfortable with.”

“What’s the atmosphere like in the Tower of the Ever-Burning Phoenix?” Lee Han asked, as if curious. Unlike the White Tiger Tower or the Black Tortoise Tower, he couldn’t figure out the atmosphere of the Phoenix Tower at all.

The demon-blooded girl tilted her head, as if she couldn’t understand the question.

“What are you talking about?”

“Ah. I mean, what do you do in the lounge during breaks…”

“We each pray in our own rooms.” Tiziling answered with a slightly proud voice. Lee Han grimaced.

‘Hmm. It’s a much more desolate place than I thought,’ he thought.

If Lee Han had entered the Phoenix Tower, he would have felt suffocated.

“Do you pray in the evening too?”

“Yes. Some priests have to go out to the forest or mountains to pray, and priests who can pray indoors do so inside.”

“I see. …Wait. You can go out in the evening?”

“Yes. We have permission.”

Lee Han was greatly surprised by this unexpected fact.

‘Priests could wander around after evening?’ he thought.

Naturally, going outside the tower was forbidden after evening on weekdays. It wasn’t for nothing that Lee Han and his friends had aimed for the weekend to attempt their escape. But the students from the Phoenix Tower had permission.

Come to think of it, even if Lee Han were the headmaster, he would have let the students from the Phoenix Tower go. Since they wouldn’t cause any trouble even if left alone…

‘So, if I just wear priest robes, I can wander around even after evening?’ Lee Han felt like his eyes were lighting up.

If he just had priest robes…!

“Could I perhaps get a set of priest robes?”

Tiziling narrowed her eyes and looked at Lee Han.